Recognition of Taliban govt has to be 'collective effort'

In interview with French newspaper PM Imran says ties with India at dead end

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said Pakistan wanted the recognition of the Taliban government as a "collective process".

He said if Pakistan were the first to grant recognition of the Taliban, the international pressure would become "too much for us as we try to turn our economy around".

"To be isolated by becoming the only state (to recognise the Taliban regime) would be the last thing we would want," he said in an interview with French daily Le Figaro.

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Prime Minister Imran Khan's Interview to Le Figaro, France@PakPMO @Le_Figaro https://t.co/m2zNZtMcny

— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) February 15, 2022

Imran said the Afghans were a proud people, who could not be forced to act in a certain way. "You can't force them. There is a limit to what foreign pressure can do to a government like the Taliban," he added.

"Afghans should not be expected to respect women's rights as Westerners understand them." However, he said, the Taliban agreed on girls education but needed time. He expressed concern over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and the possible reflux of refugees.

He mentioned that before the fall of the former regime, three organisations were operating from Afghanistan, including the Pakistani Taliban, the Baloch terrorists, and the Islamic State group. "We believe that the more stable the Afghan government is, the less these groups can operate. That is why we are so concerned about the stability of Afghanistan," he said.

Also read UN report says Taliban have killed scores of former Afghan officials, others

Asked if Pakistan trusted the Afghan Taliban when they say they will not let jihadists strike from their territory, he said, "Yes, the Taliban were able to restore security when they took over in the 1990s.

"It is in their interest that regional trade develops from Central Asia through their territory to the Indian Ocean." He emphasised that if terrorists operated from the Afghan soil, the Taliban would suffer. "It is in their interest to stop international terrorism," he added.

If Pakistan would be willing to participate in US President Joe Biden's counter-terrorism strategy of striking jihadists in Afghanistan from bases in the region, he said, "We do not want international terrorism to operate from Afghanistan, but this can only be done with the help of the Taliban government."

He mentioned that Pakistan had already lost 80,000 lives in the war against terrorism after 2001, and did not want a conflict with the Afghan government. "We will be partners with the US in peace, not in war," he said.

On India, the possibility of ending stalemate with India was subject to the restoration of Indian occupied Kashmir’s autonomy.

Also read: Cross-border attack: Pakistan's patience 'running thin' with Afghan Taliban

“Talking with India would be a betrayal of the Kashmiri people, who have suffered so much and who live in an open-air prison environment with 800,000 troops deployed in the region,” he said.

Imran said India’s unilateral decision of August 5, 2019 was in violation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 47. "It is possible to build a relationship with India, but this requires the restoration of Kashmir's autonomy. They have violated international law with this abrogation," he added.

The prime minister said the BJP’s (Bharatiya Janata Party) attitude of government and the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh - a right-wing Hindu fundamentalist group) -- towards Pakistan and Kashmir was "worrisome" that had led to a "dead end".

"We are dealing with a government that is not rational, whose ideology is based on hatred of religious minorities and Pakistan. We can't talk to them. We are at a dead end," he added.

He said Kashmir remained a disputed area between Pakistan and India since 1947, and it was natural to raise voice in defence of the Kashmiris, as one third of the territory was in Pakistan.
"Kashmir is directly a matter of concern for Pakistan," he added.