Islamabad to assist Taliban
RAAB VISITS THE AFGHANISTAN BORDER CROSSING POINT DURING PAKISTAN VISIT
PAKISTAN’S Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa last Saturday (4) told British foreign secretary Dominic Raab that Islamabad will “assist” the Taliban to form an inclusive administration in neighbouring Afghanistan.
At the meeting in Islamabad, both leaders discussed issues of mutual interest, regional security and the current situation in Afghanistan.
The Pakistan Observer reported that Bajwa told the UK foreign secretary Pakistan will “continue to fight for peace and stability in Afghanistan, as well as assist the formation of an inclusive administration.”
The general’s remarks came as Pakistan’s powerful intelligence chief Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed last Saturday travelled to Kabul where the Taliban is getting ready to install a government that would be acceptable to the international community.
The Taliban have postponed the formation of a new government in Afghanistan as the insurgent group struggles to give shape to a broad-based and “inclusive” administration.
This is the second time the Taliban has delayed the formation of the government since their toppling of the US-backed Afghanistan government. Initially, the insurgent group was expected to announce the formation of the new government led by its cofounder Mulla Abdul Ghani Baradar last Friday (3).
Raab arrived in Pakistan last Thursday (2) to hold talks with the country’s top leadership.
“Both sides agree to continue to seek ways of cooperation in the areas of defence, training and counter-terrorism,” the report said.
Raab said: “The basis for the UK-Pakistan relationship is very strong – and the UK has the desire to take it to the next level. We also have a very clear and shared interest in the future of Afghanistan. We will judge the Taliban by their actions, not their words”.
He also indicated the UK would communicate with the Taliban but refused to recognise their government immediately.
Raab said it would not have been possible to evacuate about 15,000 people from Kabul without cooperation with the Taliban, who seized the capital on August 15. “The approach we’re taking is that we don’t recognise the Taliban as a government,” he said, adding that Britain normally recognised states rather than governments.
“We do see the importance of being able to engage and having a direct line of communication.”
Western countries fear that a looming humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and an economic collapse could create hundreds of thousands of refugees.
But they are wary of Taliban promises that Afghanistan will not go back to the harsh fundamentalist rule exercised during their last period in power before 2001. “The Taliban has made a series of undertakings - some of them are positive at the level of words. We need to test them and see if this translates into deeds,” Raab added. “It is important at this stage to set or to judge the Taliban by these early, initial and probably, quite modest, tests and see whether they deliver.”
He said Britain had released the first tranche of a £30 million package of humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan’s neighbours, which may have to bear the brunt of any large exodus.
Raab also called on prime minister Imran Khan who stressed the need to strengthen the security situation in Afghanistan, take steps to strengthen peace and prevent any large-scale migration. “Preventing the humanitarian crisis and stabilising the economy are urgent needs,” Khan said as he called on the international community to stand in solidarity with the Afghan people, engage positively and encourage peaceful, stable and inclusive politics.
Raab visited the Afghanistan-Pakistan border at Torkham, a key crossing point, to see for himself the situation on the ground and also met members of the team supporting the current crisis response, according to the British High Commission.