Abandoning Afghanistan to trigger terror incidents, warns PM
ISLAMABAD/DUSHANBE – Prime Minister Imran Khan Friday urged the international community for enhanced engagement and believed that abandoning Afghanistan would create unstable situation leading to the rise in terrorist incidents, negative spillover effect on neighboring countries and transnational organised crimes.
“At the moment, there are two stark choices before the international community; enhance engagement or abandon Afghanistan. Abandoning Afghanistan will take us back to the unstable situation resulting in civil strife, negative spillover effect on neighboring countries, outflow of refuges, rise in terrorist incidents, drug trafficking and transnational organized crimes,” the prime minister said addressing the Meeting of the Heads of Delegations of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) on “Outreach on Afghanistan.”
The prime minister viewed that after the Soviet withdrawal in 1989, when Afghanistan was abandoned, the people of Afghanistan had suffered. “Engagement therefore, in our view, is the only way forward,” he remarked.
He hoped that the meeting would strengthen the participating countries’ collective resolve to promote what a common Afghan had been desperately seeking for the last 40 years – a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan.
He said as a direct neighbor and deeply impacted by the negative fallout for decades, Pakistan had a vital stake in a peaceful outcome. Imran Khan told the regional leaders that after 40 years of conflict and instability, there was a distinct possibility of finally ending the war and establishing sustainable peace. The situation has evolved to this point in a rather unexpected way.
He wished the foreign forces had withdrawn in a more certain and predictable manner. The meltdown of Afghan security forces and collapse of the Afghanistan government was as sudden as it was unanticipated, he stated. “Yet, the transition occurred without any bloodshed, which for Pakistan is a matter of great relief. The prospect of a civil war which was our biggest worry seems to have been averted, for now. The much-dreaded mass exodus of refugees has fortunately not materialized,” he said.
The prime minister said the impending humanitarian crisis and a possible economic meltdown posed the two most urgent and formidable challenges. Imran Khan said the transition of Afghanistan from an economy dependent on foreign aid and a war economy to a sustainable one would also be a huge challenge.
He believed that the instability in Afghanistan impacted the entire region, and stability in Afghanistan would benefit the region as a whole. He urged the international community to approach the new reality in Afghanistan with a new perspective, based on a realistic assessment and pragmatic approach with a core collective interest to help stabilize the security situation, prevent any renewed conflict, and prevent mass exodus. “It is equally in our interest to ensure that Afghanistan does not again become a safe haven for any terrorist entity. For this, the Taliban must take every measure to honour their commitments. The promise of an inclusive political structure should also be fulfilled. Peace will only be consolidated with national reconciliation,” he commented.
At the same time, he said the attempts to demonise the Taliban and fuel internal tensions should also be rejected as such a “such a myopic and unwise approach being adopted by some will only compound the challenges, not resolve them.”
He urged the international community to reach out to reaffirm their support and solidarity with the Afghan people as sustained international humanitarian assistance and economic support would save lives and underpin stability.
Moreover, he viewed that allowing Afghanistan’s frozen assets to be used for the welfare of the Afghan people would also be a step in the right direction. It would be prudent to handle these matters impacting the human condition in Afghanistan, without politicization, he added.
Highlighting Pakistan’s consistent policy, the prime minister said the country had been supporting Afghanistan on its path of peace, progress and prosperity and always opposed military solution.
Under the new situation, he said, Pakistan remained constructively engaged and kept its borders open to facilitate regular movement and let bilateral as well as transit trade flow. The country also dispatched several plane-loads of food and medicines to help address the humanitarian needs of Afghans.
The SCO and CSTO naturally have a vested interest in secure borders, a region free from terrorist threat, and enhanced economic integration and connectivity. “Let’s work in tandem to assist Afghanistan on its way to peace, stability and prosperity and pray that after 40 years the people of Afghanistan will finally see peace and stability,” the prime minister added.
Prime Minister Imran Khan also called upon the regional countries to “resist any drift towards bloc politics” and stressed pursuing the approach of peaceful coexistence. “Peaceful coexistence and cooperation – not confrontation, should be the main drivers of global politics,” he said in his address at the 20th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State meeting, held in the capital of Tajikistan.
The summit gathered the Presidents of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Iran, the leaders of observer states, foreign ministers, and the heads of international and regional organizations.
Vladimir Norov, SCO Secretary General and Jumakhon Giyasov, Director Executive Committee of SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure were also present. The prime minister said addressing the threats to international and regional peace and security was a vital interest for SCO.
He said the fight against terror would not be won if such threats and challenges were ignored, with state-terrorism being the biggest one, perpetrated against people living under foreign occupation in disputed territories. “In some cases, such extremist and bigoted ideologies have ascended to capture the state power in so-called democracies,” he said.
Imran Khan said Pakistan believed that faithfully implementing UN Security Council resolutions for peaceful settlement of outstanding disputes was a necessary condition for peace, and indispensable for creating an environment of cooperation.
The Prime Minister said “associating one religion with terrorism has enabled far-right, populist and supremacist groups around the world to propagate, multiply and accumulate influence.”
“For decades Pakistan has suffered from terrorism that was planned, supported, financed and orchestrated by state entities from across our border.” Outside the active zones of conflict, no other country has suffered more than Pakistan, Imran Khan said.
“We have suffered over 80,000 casualties and economic losses in excess of U.S. $150 billion,” the Prime Minister said. “Yet, our resolve remains strong. We will continue to be a reliable and willing partner of the international community in the fight against terrorism and extremism,” Khan told the top gathering of the regional countries.
Prime Minister said unilateral and illegal measures to change the status of disputed territories in violation of Security Council resolutions run counter to this objective.
Such measures, he said, must be condemned and opposed firmly for being in violation of the SCO Charter and its well-established principles of inter-state relations.
Prime Minister Imran Khan said the Covid-19 pandemic afflicted the world in unprecedented ways and said in sheer human suffering, the cost just cannot be calculated. He pointed that a staggering 4.6 million have lost their lives; 223 million have been infected, public health systems overwhelmed, economies worldwide faced downturns and recessions.
Prime Minister Imran Khan took the opportunity to speak on his favorite topic of Climate change and termed it yet another existential threat that the planet earth faces.
He said Pakistan’s contribution to global emissions was negligible, yet it was among the 10 most vulnerable countries and therefore addressing the issue was a key priority of his government.
“We have taken a number of flagship initiatives to mitigate its adverse impacts, including the 10 Billion Tree Tsunami project. “Our initiatives for ‘Clean and Green Pakistan’ not only aim to protect nature and restore eco-systems but also expand eco-tourism and create thousands of new jobs for our youth.
“We are also committed to shifting our energy mix towards a clean and low carbon trajectory and are targeting 60 percent of our energy to be clean by 2030”, he added.
The Prime Minister said sustainable peace and stability in Afghanistan would also help realize Pakistan’s vision of an inter-connected, prosperous and economically vibrant region. He said Pakistan has shifted its focus from geo-politics to geo-economics.
“Our new economic security paradigm has three central pillars: peace, development partnerships, and connectivity.”
Imran Khan termed the 20th anniversary of SCO an important juncture to reflect its journey so far and guided by the “Shanghai Spirit”, the organization had steadily grown in size and stature.
PM gets warm welcome at Tajikistan Presidential Palace
Prime Minister Imran Khan was accorded a red carpet welcome as he arrived here at Qasr-e-Millat (Presidential Palace) to hold talks with President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan.
The prime minister, upon arrival at Qasr-e-Millat, was warmly received by President Emomali Rahmon and the two leaders shook hands.
The prime minister was presented a guard of honour and reviewed the parade. National anthems of Pakistan and Tajikistan were played on the occasion.
The two leaders introduced their respective delegations to each other before proceeding for one-on-one meeting and delegation level talks.
The prime minister is in Dushanbe on a two-day visit to attend 20th meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of the Heads of State.
He was accompanied by Ministers for Foreign Affairs, Information and Broadcasting, Maritime Affairs, National Security Advisor (NSA) and Advisor on Commerce.
PM, Chinese FM discuss Sino-Pak ties, CPEC
Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Friday on the sidelines of SCO Council of Heads of State in Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe and discussed China-Pakistan bilateral relations, economic corridor and regional situation.
Terming Pakistan and China as ‘iron brothers’ and strategic partners, the prime minister conveyed cordial greetings for Chinese President Xi and Premier Li.
He appreciated China’s support for assisting Pakistan’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
PM Imran Khan underscored that CPEC was a transformational project and both sides were working for its timely completion.
He underlined that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan was of critical importance for Pakistan and the region.
In this perspective, he said, Pakistan had assiduously supported the Afghan peace process.
The prime minister said the international community should remain engaged in support of the Afghan people and take steps to prevent a humanitarian crisis and to stabilise the economy.
It was agreed that the two sides would maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges and closely coordinate on all issues of common interest.