Afghanistan cannot be controlled by outside forces: PM Imran Khan

 

Photo courtesy: The Nation

PM Imran Khan said the situation in Afghanistan is troubling in an exclusive interview with American media, adding that Pakistan wants peace in Afghanistan.

The greatest path ahead for peace and stability in Afghanistan, according to the Prime Minister, is to engage with the Taliban and "incentivize" them on subjects like women's rights and inclusive governance.

"The Taliban control the entire country, and if they can form an inclusive government and bring all of the groups together, Afghanistan may have peace after 40 years. However, if something goes wrong, which is what we are most concerned about, everything may fall apart. The world's worst humanitarian catastrophe, a massive refugee crisis "Imran Khan, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, stated.

"No puppet administration is supported by the people in Afghanistan," he continued.

"Rather of assuming we can manage them, we should encourage them. Because Afghanistan's present administration is well aware that it will be unable to address the issue without foreign assistance. As a result, we must encourage them to take the appropriate steps "He went on to say,,,,,,,

To opponents who claim that the Taliban would destabilize Pakistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan cited the Soviet departure in 1989, which led to a "bloodbath." He expressed concern that a similar slaughter might occur once the US soldiers had departed.

"Our intelligence agencies warned us that the Taliban would not be able to take over all of Afghanistan militarily and that if they tried, it would result in a lengthy civil war, which is what we were afraid of since we would be the ones who would suffer the most," Khan added. The world should now "give them time" to create a genuine government and keep their pledges, he added.

The Prime Minister stated that it is a mistake to believe that someone from outside can provide Afghan women their rights, stating that Afghan women are strong and that the international community should allow them time to achieve their goals.

The prime said that the Americans had no idea who the Haqqanis were, claiming that there was utter ignorance because the Haqqanis were a Pashtun clan from Afghanistan.