Recognition of Taliban in Afghanistan has to be ‘collective effort’ by countries in region: Pak PM Khan

Islamabad, Feb 15 (PTI) Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said his government will not recognise the Taliban regime in Afghanistan unilaterally and become isolated, hampering Pakistan’s efforts for economic recovery, and stressed that its recognition has to be a “collective effort” by the countries in the region.

Since it seized power in Kabul in mid-August, the hardline Taliban has been urging the international community to recognise its Islamic Emirate as the official government of Afghanistan. The US and other Western countries are pressing the Taliban to put the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan high on their agenda, along with the demand for the Taliban government to share power with the country’s minority ethnic and religious groups.

If Pakistan is the first to grant recognition, the international pressure will become too much for us as we try to turn our economy around, Prime Minister Khan was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune, citing his interview with French media outlet Le Figaro. We could no longer pay our debts. We can only recover if we have good relations with the international community. To be isolated by becoming the only state (to recognise the Taliban regime) would be the last thing we would want, the newspaper cited Khan as saying.

He said Taliban’s recognition has to be a “collective effort” by the countries in the region. He said that as for the conditions for such recognition, there is an international consensus that there must be an inclusive government in Afghanistan. There is also the issue of human rights and women’s rights. “The Taliban government has made promises on these two issues. What more is needed to make the world satisfied? That is the question, he was quoted as saying in the report.

However, he said that the Taliban delegation that visited Pakistan in December did not give any concrete answers about their commitment to abide by their promises to ensure basic rights for women and minorities.  There were no concrete answers. They gave an agreement in principle You can’t force them. There is a limit to what foreign pressure can do to a government like the Taliban. Afghans should not be expected to respect women’s rights as Westerners understand them, he said.

On girls’ education, he recalled that the Taliban said they needed time. In a question about the consequences of the Afghan Taliban’s return to power and its impact on Pakistan’s national security, especially in the light of the recent spike in the attacks claimed by the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), he said a stable regime in Afghanistan will weed out terror groups. 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, adding that the Pakistani government trusted the Afghan Taliban when they said they will not let militants strike from their territory .

It is in their interest that regional trade develops from Central Asia through their territory to the Indian Ocean, he said, adding that in the 90s, Pakistani transporters were operating freely in Afghanistan. About a UN report on links between al Qaeda and the Taliban, he said, if terrorists operate from [the] Afghan soil, the Taliban will suffer. It is in their interest to stop international terrorism. In response to a question over the US government’s plan to strike terror groups in Afghanistan through an air corridor, the prime minister said, we will be partners with the US in peace, not in war.

Speaking about a dialogue with India, he said Pakistan wants good ties with India but not without resolving the Kashmir issue. He said that talks with India were at a “dead end” and blamed theS ideology for not making any headway in normalising bilateral ties. India has repeatedly told Pakistan that Jammu and Kashmir “was, is and shall forever” remain an integral part of the country.

India has told Pakistan that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Islamabad in an environment free of terror, hostility and violence. India has said the onus is on Pakistan to create an environment free of terror and hostility. About Uyghurs’ treatment in China, Khan said, Xinjiang is part of China.” On relations with France, Khan said France was an important country for Pakistan as almost half of our exports go to the European Union and Islamabad was in the process of appointing an envoy in Paris.

To a question about visiting France, he said, not in the immediate future. With President (Emmanuel) Macron, we have spoken twice on the phone in the past and, of course, I want to come to France, he said.