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Pakistan’s FM tells ECO concerns persist over Afghanistan
Pakistan’s caretaker foreign minister Jalil Abbas Jilani said on Tuesday that while the war has ended in Afghanistan and security has been restored, there has not been corresponding progress on the rights of women and girls and on countering the threat posed by terrorist groups.
In a statement delivered at the 27th ECO Council of Ministers meeting in Azerbaijan, Jilani said he believed the pathway to progress in Afghanistan was with constructive engagement with the leaders of the Islamic Emirate.
“As friends and neighbors of Afghanistan, we, as members of the ECO, have a critical role to play to this end,” Dawn News quoted him as saying.
Jilani also stressed the need for the IEA to leverage connectivity as a way to achieve economic revival and growth in Afghanistan, which he said was key to sustainable peace, stability and prosperity.
ECO, or the Economic Cooperation Organization, was founded in 1985 by Iran, Pakistan and Türkiye to promote economic, technical and cultural cooperation among member states. It is also the successor to the Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD) organization.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan, has questioned Pakistan’s commitment to the welfare of the Afghan people, citing Islamabad’s policies over the past three decades.
Khalilzad said in a post on X that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif advocated for the rights of Afghan women during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday.
Sharif said: “Fundamental rights of the Afghan people — especially women and girls — must be respected.”
Responding to the remarks, Khalilzad said Pakistan’s policies over the past 30 years raise questions about Sharif’s commitment to Afghan welfare.
He cited Pakistan’s support for militant groups against US forces and what he described as the poor treatment of Afghan refugees as examples.
Khalilzad also said Afghanistan and Pakistan need and should have much better relations, adding that “a reset is necessary.”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Rabab Fatima, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X that Misri underscored the need to keep addressing the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people as a priority.
Misri also appreciated the role of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and reaffirmed India’s continued cooperation with the United Nations on Afghanistan.
The meeting comes as Afghanistan continues to face humanitarian and economic challenges, with international agencies warning of significant needs among the Afghan population.
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi has called for pragmatic and coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan, saying the country’s long-term stability is closely linked to the security and sustainable development of Central Asia.
Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Tileuberdi said humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan remains essential but alone cannot break the cycle of poverty, displacement and dependency.
He said Kazakhstan supports a “pragmatic, coordinated and step-by-step” approach to international engagement with Afghanistan, with the United Nations playing a central role.
Tileuberdi also said Kazakhstan is working with the UN to operationalize the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
He said the success of the centre should be measured by the results and assistance it delivers to the region.
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