'Afghanistan can't be controlled from outside': Imran at SCO summit

The eight-member SCO grouping of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan is holding its 21st summit at Dushanbe.
Pakistan PM Imran Khan (Photo | AP)
Pakistan PM Imran Khan (Photo | AP)

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday said that a "new reality" has been established in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover of power in Kabul and it is now in the international community's collective interest to ensure that there is no renewed conflict and the security situation is stabilised in the war-torn country.

Addressing the 20th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Council of Heads of State (SCO-CHS) Summit in Tajikistan's capital, Dushanbe, Khan said it is important to ensure respect for the rights of all Afghans while ensuring that it is never again a safe haven for terrorists.

Pakistan, which had suffered due to the spillover of conflict and instability in Afghanistan, had an interest in a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, he was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper.

Prime Minister Khan said that a "new reality" had been established in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover and withdrawal of foreign troops.

"That all this happened without bloodshed, without civil war and without mass exodus of refugees, should be a matter of relief."

"It is now in the international community's collective interest to ensure that there is no renewed conflict in Afghanistan and the security situation is stabilised," he said.

Khan said it was imperative to give Afghanistan humanitarian assistance without any delay because it was time to stand with the people of Afghanistan to help them come out of the current challenges.

"We must remember that the Afghan government primarily depended on foreign aid," he said.

He said that the Taliban rulers should make good on their commitments.

"The Taliban must fulfil the pledges made above all for inclusive political structure where all ethnic groups are represented. This is vital for Afghanistan's stability," he said.

Khan said that Afghanistan could not be "controlled from the outside".

The Prime Minister said it would be unwise to spread negativity or indulge in propaganda at this critical juncture and it would undermine the prospects for peace, to the detriment of Afghan people.

He also commended the SCO for completing 20 years and said Pakistan would continue to play its role as a member of the group.

The eight-member SCO grouping of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan is holding its 21st summit at Dushanbe.

Afghanistan is an observer in the SCO.

The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan on August 15, two weeks before the US' complete troop withdrawal on August 31 after a costly two-decade war.

This forced Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to flee the country to the UAE.

The Taliban insurgents stormed across Afghanistan and captured all major cities in a matter of days, as Afghan security forces trained and equipped by the US and its allies melted away.

Thousands of Afghan nationals and foreigners have fled the country to escape the new Taliban regime and to seek asylum in different nations, including the US and many European nations, resulting in total chaos and deaths.

Pakistan's National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf has said that the 'wait and watch' policy on recognising the Taliban regime in Afghanistan was flawed and could result in the economic collapse of the conflict-torn country.

The Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in mid-August, ousting the previous elected leadership which was backed by the West.

The interim Cabinet announced by the Taliban consists of high-profile members of the insurgent group.

Several world leaders have announced they would see whether the Taliban fulfils its promises to the international community on issues like an inclusive Afghan government and human rights before giving their regime diplomatic recognition.

"Wait and see (regarding Afghanistan's new set up) means collapse," Yusuf told the media on Wednesday, adding that a similar mistake was made in the 1990s.

He also recalled that the Western leaders had acknowledged the mistake and pledged not to repeat it.

Yusuf said the world in its own interest should talk directly to the Taliban on their concerns, including counterterrorism, human rights, inclusive government, or other issues.

"If the world is interested in this conversation, it needs to happen directly with the new government. For influencing and moulding governance in the way the world wants, it should have a conversation with them. Without engagement that would not be possible," he said.

He warned that Afghanistan could become a terrorist safe haven again as a consequence of abandoning it.

"If abandonment happens there would be a security vacuum (in Afghanistan). You already know ISIS (the militant Islamic State group) is already present there, Pakistani Taliban are there, Al Qaeda is there. Why do we risk a security vacuum?" he said.

Earlier this month, Pakistan rushed its powerful intelligence chief Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed to Kabul, amidst the Taliban struggling to finalise and install an inclusive government that would be acceptable to the international community.

A delegation of senior Pakistani officials led by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director-General stayed in Kabul to conduct discussions with the Taliban on the formation of the new government, which has a number of top leaders of the dreaded Haqqani Network, including UN-designated terrorist Sirajuddin Haqqani, as the interior minister.

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