Addressing the 21st Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (CHG) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that sustained and practical engagement with Afghanistan is important in order to help the Afghan people overcome the humanitarian and economic crises afflicting their country.
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Zardari stressed the need to address the scourge of terrorism in all its manifestations, including state terrorism, while reflecting on the importance of achieving lasting peace and security in the region for economic development.
The head of the Islamic Emirate’s political office in Qatar, Suhail Shaheen, said that the lack of engagement of some of the international countries has had a negative impact on the people of Afghanistan. He urged the international community to engage with Afghanistan.
“We want to have a positive engagement with neighboring, regional and world countries and we want them to have positive relations with us. The lack of engagement of some countries affects the people of Afghanistan. And this is in contrast to human rights,” Shaheen said.
The political analysts said the world’s engagement with Afghanistan is important and urged the caretaker government to focus on how to engage with the international countries.
“The Islamic Emirate should also take some steps for engagement. The world countries should also try to recognize the Islamic Emirate if they want assurances regarding Afghanistan,” said Janat Fahib Chakari, a political analyst.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a visit to Beijing met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and discussed key issues pertaining to the region, including the situation in Afghanistan, according to a joint statement.
“Both leaders acknowledged that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan would promote regional security and economic development and agreed that CPEC’s extension to Afghanistan would strengthen regional connectivity initiatives,” the statement reads.
The 21st Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (CHG) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was held virtually and hosted by China, as the current Chair of the SCO-CHG.
The Heads of government of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as well as representatives from SCO Observer States attended the meeting.
