Islamabad, 11 October 2021 (TDI): Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, gave an interview to Middle East Eye; a news organization covering events from the Middle East and North Africa.
The developments in Afghanistan were the major focus of the interview. Prime Minister Imran Khan said the United States should lead from the front and provide humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. Elsewise, the country will delve deep into chaos and it will become a safe haven for terrorist organizations.
Furthermore, The Prime Minister urged the international community to engage positively with Afghanistan. He said isolating and sanctioning the country will lead to a humanitarian disaster. He further added pushing away Taliban will provide an edge to hardliners with the Taliban movement and it can easily revert to Taliban of the 2000s. This will result into, regional as well as global, chaos and instability.
Additionally, Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed the view that the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan is the only way forward because it is a diverse society. He stated Pakistan is in contact with regional countries like Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. These countries have a sizeable ethnic minority in Afghanistan. These states can play a crucial role in negotiating with the Taliban government to have wider representation.
Talking about Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the premier said the government is reconciling with those factions of TTP who are willing to talk. He further added the Taliban have ensured that Afghanistan’s soil will not be used to engineer terrorist attacks against any other country.
Speaking on the use of drones by the United States in Afghanistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan said it is the most insane way of fighting terrorists because it targets wrong people and takes the lives of innocent people.
Moreover, addressing the question of Pakistan’s provision of bases to the United States, the Prime Minister stated Pakistan does not want to become a part of any conflict again. He said Pakistan has to bear the brunt of the crisis in Afghanistan. Eighty thousand people have died. Moreover, Pakistan’s economy suffered a loss of $150 billion and three and a half million people got internally displaced.
Furthermore, Prime Minister Imran Khan highlighted India’s gross human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir. In addition, he pinpointed the rising wave of Islamophobia.
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