ISLAMABAD - Former Interior Minister and Chairman Institute of Research and Reforms Rehman Malik has said that it is shocking for him and every Pakistani that group of high-profile US senators – including a former presidential nominee – has moved a bill in the US Senate seeking imposition of sanctions on the Afghan Taliban that could also potentially extend to Pakistan.
Regrettably, the bill singles out Pakistan by name in the section that calls for a report on “entities providing support for the Taliban, he added. He said that Pakistan since day first had been supporting the US led war on terror in which its sacrifices were more than any country of the world both in terms of loss of lives and damages to basic infrastructure and economy. “Rather to probe Pakistan’s role, the hasty withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan should be probed,” demands Rehman Malik.
He said that Pakistan hadn’t invited US to attack Afghanistan but it was the sole decision of US to invade Afghanistan for the reason best known to them. He said that as a former Interior Minister of Pakistan knew well the sufferings and losses of Pakistan because of war on terror. He said that the people of Pakistan have taken the move of US Senators very ill and has triggered an angry rebuke from them. Pakistan shall be appreciated for its sacrifices and vital role in war on terror rather victimised, he said.
Instead of probing Pak role, hasty withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan should be probed
He said that if Taliban were not fulfilling the conditions of agreements between US and Taliban, Pakistan has nothing to do with it since the agreement was a sole decision of US. He demanded the US Senators to reconsider and take back the Bill they have moved seeking imposition of sanctions on Pakistan. The former Interior Minister said that it is unfortunate that the new Afghan government of Taliban received no relief from United Nation during its 76th General Assembly session and no country supported its recognition. “The world is having a non-serious approach towards the Afghan Taliban and is allowing them to continue their way and their way is a dangerous path where there is no value of human blood and rights”, he stressed.
He said that it has been an unfortunate time for the Afghan people who are suffering for the last thirty years with no relief mainly because of foreign intrusions and internal polarisation. He said that the Afghan people believed the withdrawal of American troops will bring peace, stability, prosperity, and harmony to them and their war-ridden country but peace is still a dream for them. He said that one can see the same fear in Afghan society which they were once feeling from American soldiers and today they are terrified from their fellow nationals, the Afghan Taliban. Rehman Malik said that the sudden takeover of Afghanistan by the Afghan Taliban has made the USA furious which is being transformed into further difficulties for the Afghan nation. He said that emerging reaction during UNGA is almost the same trend which has been set by the USA against the Taliban post 9/11. He said that no country then dared to demand to have first the investigation and then react but the world joined the race against the Muslim world which changed the face of the world.
Senator Rehman Malik expressed that he hopes the world will take it seriously and will march with the Taliban towards peace rather than towards another bloody conflict, driving the Taliban to become part of the hybrid wars turning Afghanistan into a hub of terrorists and to expand their activities worldwide. The Taliban will be used for proxy wars if they are not led to the right path of humanity and in other words, the world needs to rehabilitate them, he added. Former Interior Minister said that at UNGA, US President Biden took credit for having “ended 20 years of conflict in Afghanistan” and “opening a new era of relentless diplomacy but he didn’t address whether the UN should recognize the Taliban formally as the government of Afghanistan. He said that US Secretary State Mr. Antony J. Blinken has hinted at more sanctions on the Afghan government which means the Afghan government has fewer chances of international support.
He said that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was very vocal who said that Russia, China, Pakistan, and the USA are working together to ensure Taliban keep their promises and prevent extremism from spreading while the President of China did not comment on Afghan recognition except by stating that war is no solution to issues.
Rehman Malik further said that PM Imran Khan urged the recognition of Taliban government however Indian PM Modi spoke against the Taliban and also hit Pakistan indirectly. He said that analyzing the speeches delivered by the most powerful heads of states, it is worth noting that none of them has vowed so far to recognize the Taliban government as yet and many including Russia, Germany, China, and USA have hinted at a precondition that the Taliban will have to abide by their promises of an inclusive government unlike that of the Islamic rule when they last governed the country from 1996 to 2001. Rehman Malik said “I don’t think there are any intentions at the international level to give any relief to the Taliban. In the meantime, the American Secretary of State has stated that they are thinking of putting more sanctions on the Afghan Taliban and it looks like they will not release the reserves of the Afghan Taliban.”
The international community to observe what is happening inside Afghanistan as there is complete unrest and there is a severe shortage of utilities, he urged.
He stated that Afghan Taliban neither have the financial ability nor do they have any reserves and available resources are depleting day by day and unrest is increasing among the common man. They are mostly relying on Qatar but this is not the job of a single country, he added.
Rehman Malik said that the Afghan Taliban will remain unchanged and they have the potential to further annoy the world and there is a likelihood of a deadlock between the Afghan Taliban and world powers and their followers.
