ISLAMABAD - Pakistan said yesterday that the recently proposed US bill on Afghanistan was designed to ‘pass on the buck.’
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the proposed bill moved in the US Senate seeking Pakistan’s role in the present Afghanistan situation was “an attempt to pass on the buck.
He said Pakistan had sufficient reasons to defend the course. “Pakistan will protect its interests and defend its position. The US has to understand the role played by Pakistan in facilitating the peace process,” FM Qureshi said at a joint news conference with the visiting Foreign Minister of Denmark Jeppe Kofod.
The bill, ‘Afghanistan Counterterrorism, Oversight, and Accountability Act’ seeks to establish a task force that will focus on continued evacuation of American citizens, legal permanent residents and Special Immigrant Visa holders from Afghanistan.
Introduced by 22 American Republican Senators, the bill proposed to tackle issues related to the Afghan withdrawal, such as counterterrorism strategies and sanctioning the Taliban for alleged human rights abuses in the country.
It says further assessment of “support by state and non-state actors, including the Government of Pakistan, for the Taliban between 2001 and 2020, provision of sanctuary space, financial support, intelligence support, logistics and medical support, training, equipping, and tactical, operational, or strategic direction” should be held.
FM Qureshi said “scape-goating Pakistan would in fact mean overlooking the ground realities”. He said Pakistan would not ignore the implications of the proposed bill on Pakistan, adding that “we are cognizant and can explain”.
He pointed out that the bill did not have a bipartisan understanding over it and was presented by a group of Republican senators, who were even critical of some US policies and were also against the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“Let us not be excessively obsessed with the bill. There are lobbies in the US and our neighbors in the region who would like to play it up,” he said.
The two foreign ministers, who earlier led the delegation-level talks, said the interaction was held in a positive manner with a focus on renewing the bilateral ties.
Qureshi said the “upward trajectory” of Pakistan-Denmark relations were discussed with an aim to further strengthen cooperation in diverse areas, particularly trade, renewable energy and parliamentary exchanges.
He welcomed the signing of the Green Partnership agreement with Denmark, which he said would give Pakistan an opportunity to make improvements in the sector.
He mentioned that Denmark had included Pakistan in the Danish Energy Transition Initiative.
On Afghanistan, he said, the Danish foreign minister was briefed about Pakistan’s facilitatory role in the peace process.
Qureshi mentioned taking up with his Danish counterpart the matter of visa categorization for Pakistan, with a request to revise the travel advisory.
He said he apprised the Danish FM of the concrete steps taken by Pakistan in the Financial Action Task Force and on how Denmark could play its role in getting Pakistan out of the grey list.
The Danish Foreign Minister to a question about recognition of the government of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan said “we are not going to recognize the Taliban government.”.
Kofod said that Denmark and Pakistan have a long and strong bilateral relationship and they plan to strengthen it further in areas of trade and energy.
“Pakistan is an important country to security and stability in the region. He said Pakistan played a responsible role in peace in the region, particularly in Afghanistan.”
The Danish foreign minister stressed that the government in Afghanistan should ensure fundamental rights to its citizens.
To a question about the Kashmir conflict, Kofod said that India and Pakistan should peacefully derive a conclusion for the region.