ISLAMABAD   -  Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said yesterday that he welcomed Prime Minister Imran Khan’s statement on possible recognition of the Taliban government in Afghanistan. The PPP chief said that the PM’s position on recognising the Taliban government should be conditional to international consensus was the right approach.

“While I welcome the (PM’s) approach, I hope he creates that consensus within Pakistan (also). The Pakistani parliament unfortunately has not met ever since the recent developments in Pakistan, stakeholders within Pakistan have not been consulted with,” he told the BBC in an interview.

Bilawal said there had been complaints from journalists in Afghanistan, the women were protesting for their rights. “We are concerned that the girls are not being allowed to go to secondary school. We continue to encourage the new regime in Afghanistan to live up to international expectations if they want international recognition,” he said.

The PPP chief said that as soon as the situation in Afghanistan developed, the PPP called for the government of Pakistan to hold a session of the parliament. “As with various issues in our country, we have been unable to form a national consensus. We require an inclusive foreign policy that reflects the will of the parliament, not of any individual,” he added.

To a question, Bilawal said Pakistan’s influence over Afghanistan was often exaggerated; however, Pakistan should play its role in encouraging an inclusive government in Afghanistan, for the protection of women and children. “We should work with international agents to ensure that Afghan land is not used to promote terrorism in the region,” he maintained.

The PPP chief said the democratic space in Pakistan was shrinking, especially during PM Imran Khan’s government. “In order for that space to be regained, it is the choice of democratic people of the country to play an active role in the political system, through the parliament and media,” he remarked. The PPP Chairman said the PPP was very concerned about the potential blowbacks of the developments in Afghanistan as well as the links between Tehrik-e-Taliban Afghanistan and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.

“We have suffered immensely at the hands of violent extremism. I lost my mother, the former prime minister Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto to extremism within Pakistan. In order to counter the threat of extremism, we need determination from the government of Pakistan to ensure no space for terrorism or extremism,” he said.

He said the people of Pakistan and Afghanistan were both exhausted due to the war. “We hope for the best but should also prepare for the worst. We are already seeing an increase in the activities of TTP within Pakistan. It is important to see how we can prevent,” he emphasised.