Connect with us

Latest News

Pakistan urges Taliban to stay engaged in Afghan peace process

Published

on

Pakistan on Monday urged the Taliban to remain engaged in the Afghan peace process after the armed group said it would now shun summits about Afghanistan until all foreign forces had left.

The decision was taken after the United States said last week it would withdraw all troops by Sept. 11 this year, later than a May 1 deadline set out by the previous administration.

"They take their own decisions but we will do whatever we can to convince them that it is in their national interest to remain engaged," Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said of the Taliban in an interview with Reuters in Abu Dhabi.

The refusal has thrown the peace process into disarray with Turkey scheduled to host a summit this Saturday, which diplomats had hoped would create new momentum towards a political settlement between the Taliban and Afghan government.

The Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 when they were ousted by U.S.-led forces, but they still control wide areas.

Qureshi said delays to the withdrawal were always a possibility due to logistics but that the Taliban had largely succeeded in their objective for foreign troops to withdraw and so should show flexibility towards the new Sept. 11 deadline.

"The troops will be out and a date has been given and the process starts on the 1st of May and goes on until the 11th of September so there is a definite time frame," Qureshi said.

He also said he had no contact with the Taliban but that he believed the insurgent group would benefit by remaining engaged in the process, suggesting that they show patience and perseverance.

Pakistan, which helped facilitate U.S.-Taliban negotiations in Doha that resulted in the initial May 1 withdrawal deal, wields considerable influence with the Taliban.

The insurgents have sanctuaries in Pakistan, whose main military-run intelligence service gives them support, according to U.S. and Afghan officials. Pakistan denies the allegation.

Qureshi said he fears violence could escalate if the peace process remains deadlocked, plunging Afghanistan into civil war and leading to an exodus of Afghans.

Pakistan, which hosts close to 3 million Afghan refugees and economic migrants, has built 90% of a fence along its disputed 2,500 km (1,500 mile) border with Afghanistan and would hopefully be completed by September, he said.

He also said Pakistan was ready to engage in direct dialogue with arch-rival India once Jammu and Kashmir statehood was restored, which New Delhi in 2019 split into territories.

"We are two atomic powers that cannot, should not go into a direct conflict. It would be suicidal," Qureshi said.

But he said he had no plans to meet with his Indian counterpart is also in the United Arab Emirates this week.

Top intelligence officers from India and Pakistan held secret talks in Dubai in January in a new effort to calm military tension over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, sources have told Reuters

Latest News

Afghanistan is ruptured from the international community: UN envoy

Otunbayeva said that the end of armed conflict in Afghanistan has delivered a period of stability and created opportunity for a positive peace.

Published

on

Afghanistan is ruptured from the international community, Roza Otunbayeva, the UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Afghanistan, said at the UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday.

Otunbayeva said that the end of armed conflict in Afghanistan has delivered a period of stability and created opportunity for a positive peace.

“A number of positive steps have been taken in the fields of economy, infrastructure, and foreign relations to seize this opportunity and begin to address the many negative legacies of war,” she said. “I have growing concerns, however, that this opportunity is being missed. The Afghan population faces a serious humanitarian and development crisis as international funding drops.”

The envoy, however, noted that the adoption of the moral oversight law shortly after the Doha meeting has undermined this process.

“We are at the same time trying to address the political legacy of Afghanistan’s long conflict. In the current situation, Afghanistan is ruptured from the international community. Individual Taliban (IEA), many of whom are de facto ministers, are under sanctions and cannot travel without permission from this Council. Afghanistan’s Central Bank assets are frozen, limiting the development potential of the private sector,” she said.

At the meeting, US and UK representatives also called on the IEA to reverse restrictions on women and girls.

“The Taliban (IEA) cannot expect the international community to move forward on the UN process without first meeting their international obligations on the fundamental freedoms of women and girls, political inclusion, and counter terrorism.” said Jess Jambert-Gray, Deputy Political Coordinator of UK at UN.

Chinese and Russian envoys expressed over security risks from Afghanistan.

“Terrorist forces such as Da’esh, Al-Qaida, and ETIM are still active in Afghanistan, posing a threat to Afghanistan and international and regional security. We call on the interim government of Afghanistan to take vigorous actions to resolutely combat the various terrorist forces in its territory, and to prevent Afghanistan from once again becoming an enclave for terrorist organizations.” Said Fu Cong, Chinese envoy to UN.

Russian envoy Vassily Nebenzia said: “The Russian Federation has consistently advocated for a realistic and comprehensive approach to Afghanistan, which should be based on objective analysis and a balanced assessment of the situation. It is imperative to have constructive cooperation within the international community on the Afghan issue. First and foremost, it means paying due regard for the needs of the Afghans themselves and rejecting one’s own narrow interests, as well as maintaining patient dialogue with the de facto Afghan authorities on a wide range of pressing problems, without blackmail or pressure.”

Pakistan’s envoy Munir Akram termed the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as the largest terrorist organization in Afghanistan.

He said that TTP is conducting almost daily terrorist attacks against Pakistan with full support and protection of the Islamic Emirate and sponsorship of Pakistan’s major adversary.

The Islamic Emirate, however, denies all these allegations and human rights violations and says that if anyone has evidence about the presence of terrorists, they can provide them.

"We have six neighbors, No neighboring country has complained. There is only one country that sometimes makes allegations. Unfortunately, instead of getting information and stating the facts, the Secretary General of the United Nations made an accusation that did not suit him,” said Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

Continue Reading

Latest News

IEA appoints ambassador to Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan handed over the Afghan embassy to the Islamic Emirate in February this year.

Published

on

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday announced the appointment of Abdul Ghafar Bahr as the new ambassador of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) in Uzbekistan.

Hafiz Zia Ahmed, Deputy Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced Bahr’s appointment on his X account.

Bahr was present at the recent farewell meeting of Khawaja Shadmanov, Ambassador of Uzbekistan in Kabul, with Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi.

Uzbekistan handed over the Afghan embassy to the Islamic Emirate in February this year.

Continue Reading

Latest News

Muttaqi invited to upcoming Moscow format meeting on Afghanistan

The next Moscow format meeting is expected to be held in the next two weeks, Muttaqi announced on Thursday, adding that a high-level IEA delegation will attend it.

Published

on

Russian ambassador in Kabul Dmirtry Zhirnov, in a meeting with Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi on Wednesday, invited him to participate in the next meeting of the Moscow Format of Consultations on Afghanistan.

During the meeting, Zhirnov emphasized that Russia places great importance on its relations with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and, therefore, seeks to ensure the participation of Afghan delegations in all forums hosted by Russia, whether regional or international, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Expressing gratitude for the invitation, FM Muttaqi noted that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, viewing the Moscow Format as a constructive and beneficial initiative, has actively participated in previous meetings since its inception.

Muttaqi further called the upcoming meeting as a valuable opportunity to engage in constructive discussions with senior Russian officials and representatives from regional countries on matters of mutual interest and bilateral cooperation.

The next Moscow format meeting is expected to be held in the next two weeks, Muttaqi announced on Thursday, adding that a high-level IEA delegation will attend it.

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2024 Ariana News. All rights reserved!