Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN Munir Akram said that the world must explore a new strategy of engaging with the Taliban because they are a reality in Afghanistan.
“We cannot afford not to continue engagement with the Taliban — they are a reality, they are in control of the whole country, and therefore we have to deal with them,” the Pakistani envoy stated.
“we need to find a new strategy of engaging them and persuading them in order to correct their behaviour and to continue the international support for the Afghan people.”
He called the current strategy towards the Taliban “ineffective.”
Akram said that although some of the Taliban decisions are unacceptable to the international community, Pakistan has no option but to live with Afghanistan, its neighbour. “Whatever happens in Afghanistan has impacts for Pakistan.”
He called for continuation of international assistance to Afghanistan adding if the support or humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan is cut off, “we will have a dire situation — famine and hunger, an outflow of refugees, greater instability, rise of terrorism — all those consequences will flow from”
Pakistani authorities have repeatedly called the world for engagement with the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Former Pakistani Prime Minister, Imran Khan, had said that there was no alternative for the Taliban in Afghanistan, and the world had to engage with the them to run affairs in this country.
Pakistani foreign minister, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, recently called Afghan Taliban a reality and TTP a fitna.
