Afghanistan faces humanitarian crisis due to failures of previous govts: PM Imran Khan
ISLAMABAD (92 News) – Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that Afghanistan faces a humanitarian crisis due to the Covid pandemic, conflict and failures of previous governments.
In an interview with Newsweek, the prime minister said that America could work with the Taliban for stability in the region. "We will have to work along with the authorities to eliminate terrorists," he maintained.
PM Imran Khan said that Taliban can be partner of America for peace. "The Taliban appear to have gained control over the entire country, for the first time in 40 years. There is a hope that security can be established throughout Afghanistan. A peaceful Afghanistan will be beneficial for Pakistan, opening up possibilities for trade and development projects," he maintained.
The prime minister said that they need to work with the authorities in Kabul to neutralize terrorists' groups present in Afghanistan, particularly the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has been responsible for thousands of terrorist attacks against Pakistan.
To a question about US' growing defence ties with India, PM Imran Khan said: "We understand that the US military support to India is designed to contain China, including through the so-called Quad. Pakistan has its own views on the credibility of this strategy. In our view, India will never confront China, especially not to serve US strategic objectives. India's purpose in arming itself so massively is to establish its hegemony in South Asia and specially to threaten and coerce Pakistan. Seventy percent of all Indian military capabilities are deployed against Pakistan, not China. Therefore, Pakistan has legitimate concerns about the provision of the most advanced weapons and technology to India. Apart from increasing the likelihood of a conflict, an arms race in South Asia will divert both India and Pakistan from investing in socio-economic development and the welfare of their people."
About a question whether Pakistan could be caught up in the broader US-China rivalry, the prime minister said: "We believe that the current US-China rivalry is unnecessary and contrary to the interests of both these global powers. Cooperation between them would be beneficial to both and is essential to address the myriad global problems we face – the COVID pandemic, the economic crisis in the developing world and the existential threat of climate change. We hope that both Beijing and Washington will reach the same conclusion in the near future."
He said: "As for China, if China offers economic support to Afghanistan, it's natural that the Afghans will accept it. The Taliban have welcomed the prospects of being incorporated in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and establishing close relations with China. However, the US too can play an important and positive role in Afghanistan by providing humanitarian assistance, contributing to Afghanistan's recovery and reconstruction, and cooperating in containing terrorism from Afghanistan."
