Germany holds grim view of Taliban rule

FM Baerbock says Taliban leading country to downfall; Bilawal expresses concern on Ukraine situation in joint presser

ISLAMABAD:

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Tuesday made a damning assessment of the Afghan Taliban rule, saying the war-torn country was heading in the “wrong direction”.

“When we look across the border the Taliban is leading the country to a downfall,” the top German diplomat told a joint news conference with Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

This is the first visit by a foreign minister from a western country to Pakistan since the change of government in Islamabad.

The German foreign minister Baerbock held formal talks with her Pakistani counterpart, covering bilateral relationship, Afghanistan, Russia-Ukraine conflict and other issues.

But soon after meeting Bilawal, the German foreign minister tested positive for Covid-19 and suspended her other engagements in Islamabad.

At the joint news conference, Baerbock issued a clear warning, insisting that Afghanistan was heading in the wrong direction under the Taliban rule.

“Parents don’t know how to feed their children. Girls are deprived of their education. Women are almost excluded from participation in public life. Dissenting voices are brutally suppressed. The economy is grinding to a halt,” she said.

Baerbock went on to say that the international community must stand united and together tell the Taliban loud and clear that “you are heading in the wrong direction”.

“As long as they go down this path, there is no room for normalisation and even less for recognition of the Taliban as legitimate rulers of the country,” she stressed in a clear message that recognition of the Taliban rule was out of the question at this stage.

However, despite expressing serious concerns over the Taliban rule, the German foreign minister made it clear that the international community would not “forget and abandon” the people of Afghanistan.

“It is not the fault of the people the Taliban government overthrew the government and since then have tightened their grip on Afghan society. We will continue to provide humanitarian aid and support to the people who need it the most, especially women and girls who suffered the most under the Taliban’s rule.”

On the Russian-Ukraine conflict, she said that Moscow had set a dangerous precedent by invading the neighbouring country. “Russia invasion sets a wrong precedent. Our world is more dangerous if the law of the strongest applies rather than the international law.”

Foreign Minister Bilawal emphasised that there was no change in Pakistan’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. He said that Pakistan being a smaller and developing country would also advocate pursuing international law and rules.

He expressed concerns over the humanitarian situation unfolding in Ukraine as a result of the Russian invasion.

The German minister also voiced concerns over the human rights situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). “We support the work of the United Nations. Also with the situation in Kashmir to ensure that all the human rights are being guaranteed within the different bodies of the United Nations.”

She added that the constructive approach and confidence building measures were the only way to improve the relationship between Pakistan and India.

She welcomed the Line of Control ceasefire Pakistan and India agreed last year. The German foreign minister stressed the need for both sides to take more such steps to reduce tensions.

Meanwhile, a statement issued by the Foreign Office said that during the delegation-level talks, the two sides had an extensive exchange of views on various aspects of bilateral relations with a special focus on enhancing cooperation in the fields of trade and investment, climate change, and renewable energy.

The foreign minister hoped that bilateral relations would be strengthened further through regular high-level exchanges, which had acquired a steady momentum in the recent years.

The foreign minister appreciated German companies doing business in Pakistan and invited more companies to take advantage of Pakistan’s business friendly policies.

In the regional context, the foreign minister stressed the need for the international community to come together to address the dire humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.

The foreign minister added that the release of Afghan financial assets was important for helping stabilise the economy. He also said that Pakistan continued to provide humanitarian assistance for the people of Afghanistan.

Foreign Minister Baerbock thanked Pakistan for its role in facilitating the evacuation of foreign nationals and others from Afghanistan. Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari assured the German side that Pakistan would support the evacuation request.

While discussing the situation in Ukraine, the foreign minister shared Pakistan’s concern over the continuation of military conflict. Reiterating Pakistan’s principled position, he said that Pakistan believed that a solution must be found through dialogue and diplomacy.

He added that ramifications of this conflict were being felt far beyond the European continent, as far as in Pakistan, due to rising fuel and food prices. He said that in “solidarity with the people of Ukraine, and despite our own economic challenges”, Pakistan had sent relief goods and humanitarian aid for the affected Ukrainian people.

The foreign minister also drew attention of Germany to the serious human rights violations in IIOJK, the rising tide of Islamophobia across India, also manifested in the recent repugnant remarks by two BJP officials towards the person of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), and the risks posed by these developments to peace and stability.