Pakistan has initiated dialogue with the Taliban for an “inclusive” government in Afghanistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan said, asking the war-ravaged country’s new rulers to include Tajiks, Hazaras, and Uzbeks in the government. “After meetings in Dushanbe with leaders of Afghanistan’s neighbours, and especially a lengthy discussion with Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon, I have initiated a dialogue with the Taliban for an inclusive Afghan govt to include Tajiks, Hazaras, and Uzbeks,” PM Khan said in a series of tweets on Saturday. On Friday, Khan met with the leaders of Afghanistan’s neighbours, including China, Russia, Iran, and Tajikistan, on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
This is a very crucial time for Afghanistan and the deadlock between Kabul and the west about the Taliban fulfilling their promises is not helping anyone. America’s decision to freeze close to $10 billion of the Afghan central bank’s money, especially, has restricted the new government’s ability to take care of its people. Pakistan’s position is that the aid must be resumed immediately, so the country can avoid a catastrophe, and then future tranches can be made contingent upon the Taliban showing flexibility, forming an inclusive government, giving women their proper rights, etc.
It’s unfortunate that Washington seems bent upon delaying aid money to Afghanistan for as long as possible. After having practically ruined the country over twenty years of war, and leaving it in a far worse condition, the least it could have done was help with the subsequent reconstruction. As things stand, the Afghan economy is shattered and there is a very real prospect of famines breaking out in parts of the large country. Whatever point the Americans are now trying to prove by making Taliban grovel for aid is only pushing Afghanistan closer to the edge.
The Taliban government is yet to be recognised by any country and the major obstacle remains the Taliban’s refusal to accommodate other ethnicities as well as women in the newly formed set-up. Pakistan has maintained from the start that the Taliban must make the government a broad-based one if they want to become part of the international community. So far the Taliban remain unmoved. This intransigence will have consequences. Afghanistan is facing a humanitarian crisis in the absence of any significant financial and technical assistance. The UN secretary general has warned of a severe impact on the people of Afghanistan if the international community does not provide relief and money on an urgent basis.
The ensuing crisis could lead to a fresh wave of instability that could, among other things, trigger a greater exodus of refugees into Pakistan. The head of the UN refugee agency has urged Pakistan to accept refugees if such a situation arises but he should also realise that this is a burden that Pakistan has been shouldering for decades. It is very hard to do this now without the help of other countries. It is unfair to expect that Pakistan will bear the financial, political and social cost of more refugees knowing that it has paid a steep price for doing so in the past.
Shafaqna Pakistan
pakistan.shafaqna.com
