Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan’s Interim Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi has as-sured Pakistan that the Afghan Taliban government will not allow anyone to use their homeland against another country.
The assurance was made by the Taliban government’s top diplomat in a meet-ing with Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Asif Durrani in Kabul, a statement issued by the Afghan foreign ministry said.
The bilateral huddle was held on Wednesday and the Pakistani side is yet to issue an official statement on the meeting.
In the meeting, Muttaqi congratulated Durrani for assuming office and hoped that with his appointment the “political and economic relations between the two countries will develop further”. He added that “with ensured security in Afghanistan, a good opportunity has come up to strengthen the economy of the two countries, commence major projects, and increase trade”.
“Afghans will never harm anyone; we will allow none to use our soil against another country; and our efforts will always be directed at working for regional security and stability,” the Afghan foreign ministry quoted Muttaqi.
On the other hand, the Afghan foreign ministry said that the Pakistani envoy congratulated the Afghan Taliban “for the overall stability and security follow-ing a four-decade war and problems”.
“My efforts will be aimed at enhancing relations between the two countries; our countries have progress in the field of business that is appreciable; region-al security is to everyone’s benefit; and we will cooperate in the security sec-tor,” Durrani was quoted as saying.
The envoy also assured Muttaqi that Pakistan is “ready to develop bilateral po-litical, economic, and other mechanisms”.
“We will pay serious attention to completing the remaining work of Torkham-Jalalabad road; and that visa facility will be provided for Afghans, particularly for medical patients,” Durrani added.
Earlier this week, the United States also reiterated that the Afghan Taliban must ensure that their country isn’t used for terror attacks as Pakistan blames the neighbouring nation for harbouring banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
“[The] Taliban have the responsibility to prevent […] Afghanistan from being used as a safe haven for launching terrorist attacks,” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a press briefing.
The development came after the top brass of the Pakistan Army said that sanctuaries and liberty of action available to terrorists of the TTP and other groups of that ilk in Afghanistan is one of the major reasons impacting the se-curity of Islamabad.
At the 258th Corps Commanders Conference (CCC) under the chairmanship of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir, the army noted that the proscribed TTP had obtained access to the latest weaponry due to their sanc-tuaries in Afghanistan.
The terror attacks in Pakistan have spiked since November last year when the TTP ended its ceasefire agreement with Islamabad, with the armed forces also ramping up efforts against militants.
Terror activities in the country have soared by 79% during the first half of 2023, a statistical report released by the independent think tank Pakistan Insti-tute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) showed.
