KARACHI: Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Munir Akram said Pakistan will not support the policy of isolating the Afghan Taliban under any circumstances, and at the UN General Assembly, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif will emphasise maintaining relations with the Taliban for the stability of Afghanistan. In a special interview given to Voice of America on the occasion of the opening of the UNGA in New York, Akram said that regardless of the mistakes of the Afghan Taliban, Afghanistan’s internal and external problems can be solved only through joint strategies and joint measures.
He said the people of Afghanistan should not be punished for the mistakes of the Afghan government, and Islamabad is making efforts to remove the mistakes of the Afghan Taliban under a joint strategy. Since the Taliban took power in Kabul in August 2021, Pakistan has been emphasising on the world the policy of maintaining ties with the Taliban government. According to Akram said: “We have always said that there should be relations with Afghanistan. There may be differences with them [the Taliban government], but there should be dialogue. The purpose of diplomacy is to change the situation through relations and through our policy.”
When asked if Pakistan cannot solve its own problems through talks with the Taliban government, how it would convince the world, Akram said Pakistan has many problems with the Taliban government of Afghanistan, including border and trade issues, yet Islamabad continues to provide aid, education and other facilities to the people of Afghanistan on humanitarian grounds. He said our relations with the Afghan people are unlimited, and we cannot change our geography, and we have to communicate and maintain relations with our neighbours.
He also said that the differences with the Afghan government will be resolved in other ways, but differences do not mean that Afghanistan should be abandoned. “Where we need to take action, we are taking it for our security; where we need diplomacy, we are also continuing the diplomatic process,” he pointed out. It should be remembered that the border disputes between Pakistan and Afghanistan have increased recently, and Islamabad’s demand to eliminate the shelters of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban in Afghanistan has intensified.
When it was pointed out that Pakistan had been adopting a joint strategy with the countries of the region regarding Afghanistan, but China and some countries of the region are unilaterally moving towards recognising the Taliban government, Akram said Beijing and other countries in the region have not taken any such decision regarding Afghanistan that has left Pakistan behind.
He said China and the United Arab Emirates have recalled the ambassadors of Afghanistan to their capitals, while the embassy of Afghanistan in Islamabad has already been functioning.
He added that there will also be a ministerial meeting of the forum of the six neighbouring countries of Afghanistan on the occasion of the UNGA. He said that in this meeting, the countries of the region will consider a common strategy about Afghanistan on how to deal with the problems of Afghanistan.
He said Pakistan has a clear and comprehensive policy for Afghanistan that Afghanistan should not be abandoned and ties with the Taliban government should be maintained because the wrong policies of the Taliban government can be corrected only through dialogue and joint strategies.
When asked if Pakistan still supports the position of handing over the frozen assets of Afghanistan to the Taliban government, Akram said Pakistan will continue to maintain the position that a strategy must be found to restore the frozen assets of Afghanistan because the Afghan people need them. He said we want the Afghan government to correct their wrong policies, but the Afghan people should not suffer because of it.
He also said Pakistan is trying bilaterally with the Afghan Taliban to ensure that the Afghan soil is not used for terrorism against other countries, human rights are honoured and all classes participate in the government. However, he added, adopting this strategy jointly can yield better results.
Talking about the priorities of Pakistan in the UNGA, Akram said that our first priority is economic and social development, the second priority is the global issues of Kashmir and Palestine and the situation in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s address will focus on these issues. He said Pakistan is trying to get India to withdraw the unilateral actions it has taken in Kashmir and end the human rights violations so that an environment can be created for negotiations and a solution to this global conflict can be found as a result of talks.
And apart from his address to the UNGA, the PM will also emphasise on finding solutions to these problems in his meetings with world leaders. Akram said Pakistan’s cooperation with the UN in terms of anti-terrorism and peace operations will also be given attention.
Explaining the details of the PM’s visit to New York, he said that apart from the UNGA, the premier will also address the Security Council and an environment conference, and will also meet the UN’s president and secretary general.
The PM will also attend the Commonwealth Summit, G77, Alliance of Non-Aligned Countries and the forum of neighbouring countries regarding Afghanistan.
Akram said the PM’s meeting with US President Joe Biden is expected on the occasion of the UNGA. The premier will also attend a dinner hosted by President Biden and Bangladesh caretaker chief Muhammad Yunus. The PM will stay in New York for four days for the UNGA, and during this time he will also meet with world leaders and heads of international organisations.