-Says situation in Afghanistan, not stable; we do not control what happens there
-Claims strategy is underway for the country’s future
-Links security of Afghanistan with the prevalence of peace
-FM says Pakistan will not favor Talibanization
-Pakistan welcomes Iran’s engagement with Afghan parties
-Taliban claim control of 85% Afghan territory
DM Monitoring
ISLAMABAD: National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf on Friday said that the situation in Afghanistan is not stable and that Pakistan does not have control over things happening there.
Speaking to the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs at the Parliament House, Yusuf questioned the narrative that if there is no peace in Afghanistan, there wouldn’t be peace in Pakistan either.Shedding light on the situation in Afghanistan, Yusuf said that security is not possible there without the prevalence of peace.
He said that the withdrawal of the US forces from Afghanistan is more of a “psychological evacuation” instead of a physical one, adding that Pakistan should make efforts to maintain stability in the war-torn country. He said that the Government of Pakistan is devising a strategy for the country’s future, adding that the government is planning to connect with the world in terms of development, partnership, and regional peace.
The national security adviser also briefed the forum about the security measures that the government is taking for Pakistan in terms of border security and said that a special visa policy has also been formulated for Afghanistan.He also spoke about the civil-military coordination in Pakistan and said that problems that arose in the past in this regard are no longer there. Pakistan will not favor Talibanisation:
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also spoke to the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and said the strengthening of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) ranks was not in the interest of Pakistan and categorically stated the country would “not favour any sort of Talibanisation.” In his remarks, FM Qureshi said: “The comeback of TTP is not in Pakistan’s interest. We do not want Talibanisation [in] our country.” The foreign minister expressed concerns over the chances of a civil war after the foreign military forces pulled out completely from Afghanistan and said Pakistan did not want such a scenario to repeat.
He stressed that “power-sharing” of different Afghan factions was the best option to avert a civil war. Pakistan desired an honourable return of the Afghan refugees, which he said, should be made part of the Afghan peace process. The foreign minister said after the Taliban refused to attend the Istanbul Peace Process, Pakistan held a tripartite meeting with Afghanistan and Turkey.
Speaking about Afghan refugees, he called upon the international community to find a solution for their repatriation to their homeland.
FM Qureshi said Pakistan would welcome the support extended by China for the stability of Afghanistan. Pakistan’s relationship with Iran is getting stronger, he said and mentioned the agreement with Tehran on the establishment of border markets.
FO welcomes Iran’s engagement with Afghan parties: Meanwhile, Foreign Office Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri, in a statement issued Friday, said that Pakistan welcomes Iran’s engagement with Afghan parties to achieve a negotiated political settlement. In a response to the media regarding the visit of Taliban and Afghan government delegations to Tehran, he said Pakistan considers the role of Iran in the Afghan peace process as “important”.
Chaudhri said Iran, like Pakistan, is a neighbouring country of Afghanistan and host to millions of Afghan refugees. He expressed hope that Afghan parties would seize the opportunity and achieve an inclusive, broad-based, and comprehensive political settlement.
Kabul seeks Islamabad’s help: Afghanistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Hanif Atmar has sought Pakistan’s help to end the raging conflict in Afghanistan, saying that he hoped Islamabad would persuade the Taliban to return to talks again.
The situation in Afghanistan has taken a turn for the worse, with the Taliban launching a blistering campaign and capturing key districts of the country, drastically emboldened as US and other foreign forces gear up to leave the country.In an exclusive interview with a Pakistani private TV, Atmar said Kabul had great expectations from Pakistan.
“We are hopeful Pakistan will help Afghanistan disrupt the Taliban’s supply and ‘brutal campaign’,” said the Afghan minister.In response to a question about whether the Afghan government thinks the US betrayed it, Atmar said that Washington signed an agreement with the Taliban with honest intentions.
“The Taliban did not fulfil their part of the deal and deceived the whole world,” he said. “The Taliban are making a huge mistake. All of us have extended a hand of friendship towards them,” he added.He said the Afghan government was telling the Taliban to honour the Doha peace deal, adding that Kabul had fulfilled its obligations of the deal when it came to the prisoners exchange and ensuring foreign troops leave the country.Taliban claim control of 85% Afghan territory:
The Afghan Taliban on Friday claimed that 85% of Afghanistan’s territory was under their control as the group continued its offensive amid a US military withdrawal. At a press conference in Moscow, Taliban negotiator Shahabuddin Delawar said that “85% of Afghanistan’s territory” is under the group’s control, including some 250 of the country’s 398 districts.
“All administrative bodies and hospitals continue their work on this territory. We ensured their functionality,” he said, calling on international organisations “not to interrupt their missions.” Delawar said that the US withdrawal was a result of the Taliban bringing Afghanistan’s population over to its side under the “principle of Islam”.
“The United States was forced to leave our territory,” he said. He added that there was no agreement with the United States for the Taliban not to attack administrative centres remaining under Kabul’s control. “These are our internal affairs,” Delawar said. This week more than 1,000 Afghan troops fled into Tajikistan after a blistering offensive by the Taliban in the north of Afghanistan.
Afghan authorities have vowed to retake all the districts lost to the group and deployed hundreds of commandos to counter their offensive in the north. Moscow is closely watching the offensive, concerned about the security of Central Asian countries where it maintains military bases. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Friday that the Taliban “currently controls about two-thirds” of Afghanistan’s border with ex-Soviet Tajikistan.
On Thursday, a Taliban delegation in Moscow met with the Kremlin’s envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, while the Russian foreign ministry released a statement saying that it had received assurances Central Asian borders would not be violated. US President Joe Biden on Thursday defended his country’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, though he admitted that it was “highly unlikely” Kabul would be able to control the entire country.
Meanwhile, Taliban fighters have seized control of a key district in western Afghanistan that includes an important border crossing with Iran, Afghan security officials said, as the armed group continues its rapid military advances around the country. In the last week, the Taliban has overrun areas bordering five countries – Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, China and Pakistan – as foreign forces end their 20-year intervention and the domestic security situation deteriorates.
Pitched battles between Taliban fighters and Afghan government forces were also under way in the northern Balkh province bordering Uzbekistan. Two senior security officials told Reuters news agency on condition of anonymity that the Islam Qala border crossing with Iran, located in Herat province, had fallen to the Taliban and that Afghan security and customs officials had fled across the border.
