Pakistan’s foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that after the fall of Kabul in August 2021, Pakistan has had a good relationship with the current government of Afghanistan.
Speaking to a press conference, Zardari urged the Islamic Emirate to fulfil its commitments to the people of Afghanistan and the international community, and if this is not done, first the citizens of Afghanistan and then Pakistan will be the victims of this “failure.”
“Pakistan has consistently, ever since the fall of Kabul engaged with the interim government, positively engaged with the interim government in Afghanistan, first and for most, because we also believe that they should live up to their commitments to the international community to their own people, but it is also in Pakistan’s interest that there is a peaceful, prosperous, stable, secure Afghanistan at home, at peace with itself and with its neighbors, and it is in our interest that the interim government in Afghanistan are able to deliver on their commitments to their people and to the international community,” Zardari said.
Addressing the press conference, Zardari noted: “If they fail to do so, of course, they will first and foremost be the victims … the people of Afghanistan, the second victims of such a failure will be the people of Pakistan. For example, if they fail to live up to their commitment to ensure that their soil is not to be used for terrorism, of course the first and foremost victim of that would be the people of Afghanistan, but secondly the victim of that are the people of Pakistan who have seen an increase of terrorist attacks since the fall of Kabul.”
Pakistan’s foreign minister also criticized depriving Afghan girls of education.
“It is through our actions that we will demonstrate the role of women within Islam, as for as the impact of this will have on the Taliban, I can’t speak to them, but what it does demonstrate is that their actions are an outlier and not the norm with the Muslim world, there is no other country on the planet– Muslims or otherwise–that condones depriving women and girls from the right to education,” Zardari further stated.
“Pakistan is not honest about its commitments to Afghanistan. It is not the work itself, there is the foreign hands behind it,” said Bilal Fatemi, a political analyst.
Suhail Shaheen, the head of the Islamic Emirate’s political office in Qatar, did not offer any views on the fulfilment of the commitments, but he did promise that the legitimate demands of the people will be met.
“Afghanistan today has a committed Islamic system. This system satisfies all legitimate demands of the people step by step and has also made achievements in the areas of economy and security,” Shaheen noted.
Previously, Pakistan’s foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said in an interview with AP that until the economic problems in Afghanistan are resolved, the current government will not be able to implement its commitments regarding women’s rights and other issues.
