‘Afghanistan can serve as a point of connectivity’

Islamabad: Amir Khan Muttaqi, Interim Foreign Minister of Afghanistan, has said that due to the unique placement of Afghanistan geographically, it can serve as a point of connectivity for the entire region.

This was stated by Mr Muttaqi during his address at a public talk organised here by the Institute of Strategic Studies under its Distinguished Lecture Series.

Mr Muttaqi said that we are exerting efforts to have a dialogue with Central Asian Republics so that trade can be resumed between Pakistan and Central Asia which will benefit Afghanistan as well. He opined that we also want to work towards reforms that the international community wants us to take peacefully not through pressure tactics. He said that we are looking forward to bilateral trade with Pakistan and we must not be a prisoner of the past as peace in Afghanistan means peace in Pakistan and vice versa.

The Afghan Minister said that the developments in Afghanistan were peaceful due to the support of the people and in the city of Kabul, not a single drop of blood was shed. He further said that with the Taliban’s takeover, there was comprehensive peace throughout Afghanistan and that the refugees coming out of Afghanistan are economic refugees as is the case in other parts of the world as well. He observed that the new government of Afghanistan does not pursue a policy of revenge. He said that we have made it clear in Doha that we will not allow Afghan territory to be used against any country including our immediate neighbours.

He said that Afghanistan for the first time in 43 years has a central, responsible, and sovereign government that controls every inch of the territory of Afghanistan. We, in Afghanistan, he said, have a historic opportunity to create a win-win situation for everyone. The new developments have opened new opportunities for stability as the backbone of prosperity, he said adding that a lot of things are coming out of the international media with the intention of destroying our image. He revealed that we have not fired anyone due to their political views. He also stated that not a single woman has been fired or their salaries cut. Afghanistan has around 3000 clinics and hospitals which are still running today. He complained that aid has been cut by “international human rights champions” and the assets of the people of Afghanistan – their basic source of sustenance – have also been frozen. There no longer exists any rationale behind any such sanctions he said claiming that our current cabinet has representatives from all ethnicities. We are being punished for something which is a possibility in the future, he concluded.

In the question hour, Mr. Muttaqi appreciated Pakistan for hosting Afghan refugees who have resided in the country for more than 40 years. Responding to a question regarding women’s rights and education, he said that more than 75 per cent of girls have returned to school and while the focus of the international community is on women education there is very little focus on the teachers who need to be paid., hence this appears to be quiet contradictory on part of the international community.

He said there is a consensus in Afghanistan and the entire region that whichever government is in power with the support of the people of Afghanistan is in the interest of all. There remain no anti-Pak elements in Afghanistan and that we are trying our best that the territory of Afghanistan not be used against anyone and that peace should prevail.

Earlier in his welcome remarks, Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, Director-General of the institute said that in the aftermath of the US pull-out, the manner in which the Ashraf Ghani government left, shows that they never had the support of the Afghan people. Now the situation in Afghanistan is a ground reality and that there is a consensus that the people of Afghanistan want peace.