Hina Khar slams West for complete break from Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has warned growing voices, especially in the West who are advocating a complete break from Afghanistan, not to offload its problems to the neighbourhood and walk away. Mistakes of abandoning the people of Afghanistan is always a bad choice and should not be repeated; rather these misplaced approaches need to be re-assessed.

“At a time when the Afghan people need the international community the most, we see the world moving away, closing doors on the common Afghan citizens. There are clear indications that humanitarian support to Afghanistan will see a significant decline this year. Some are even questioning the utility of engaging the Interim Afghan Government,” said Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ms Hina Rabbani Khar, while addressing the Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the Neighbours of Afghanistan in Samarkand on Thursday.

But she also pointed to the Afghan Interim Government, which was represented by the Interim Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, that ‘regrettably’ some of the policies and actions of the government had not helped either. “The decision to suspend education for women and girls and to prevent them from working for national and international NGOs is regrettable, not only that it deprives the enterprising Afghan women and girls their rightful opportunities to progress and advance, and to secure gainful employment, but also restrains the helping hand of many friends and well-wishers of Afghanistan,” said Khar.

Pakistan, she said, has voiced its disappointment with this decision. “We believe the right to education is not a favour to women, to be dispensed at will; it is a fundamental human right, as enshrined in our noble religion, and the teaching of the Holy Prophet (PBUH),” she added.

The issue of terrorism, including attacks on Pakistan from the soil of Afghanistan, was also raised by the MoS at a time when in Islamabad, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said Pakistan would not hesitate to strike inside Afghanistan against those who were carrying out terrorist activities against Pakistan. “We also believe that more needs to be done to eradicate the foothold of terrorist organisations from Afghanistan, without distinction and in a concerted and uniform manner. Greater cooperation and coordination with the Interim Afghan Government remains critical. We look forward to working closely with the neighbouring states and the international community to this end,” said Khar.

Pakistan’s Charge d’ Affaires, who escaped an assassination attempt, has still not returned to Kabul, as the Foreign Office feels that the security situation is still not satisfactory.

Khar pointed out that Thursday’s meeting was taking place at a critical juncture. Afghanistan currently faces multiple and mutually reinforcing challenges: the humanitarian situation in the country remains grim, with a staggering 28 million people - over 2/3rd of the population, requiring urgent humanitarian assistance to survive.

The menace of terrorism continues to blight the lives of Afghan people on a daily basis. The threat posed by terrorist organisations to the neighbouring states and the region has accentuated.

Meanwhile, the Afghan economy continues to operate under the shadow of sanctions and billions of dollars of frozen assets. Pakistan on the occasion suggested seven points pointing out that progress towards the goal of promoting greater political inclusivity in Afghanistan, remains a critical priority, and should be guided by: One, unity of purpose and a synergy of effort within the region remains imperative. We should not only continue to hold regular consultations but also evolve common strategies and shared perspectives on Afghanistan. Pakistan believes that the three Working Groups, on the political and diplomatic, economic and humanitarian and security and stability dimensions, established during our last meeting, provide a useful framework to follow-up on the decisions taken during our meetings, and should be fully operationalised. Two, connectivity has remained a pipe-dream for far too long. This must change — we must turn this ‘constraint’ into a conduit for regional peace and prosperity. Every big dream has a humble origin — we must adopt a step-by-step approach, identifying projects, consolidating and implementing them, as critical building blocs for a common vision for regional connectivity. Connectivity projects such as CASA-1000, Trans-Afghan Railways, TAPI and others, are not merely economic undertakings, they are also strategic investments in our shared future.

Three, Pakistan firmly believes that humanitarian support should remain delinked from any political considerations. The common Afghan people should not be made victims of political choices made by others. Continued and sustained humanitarian support to the people of Afghanistan must therefore, be ensured.

Four, beyond the confines of humanitarian assistance, we should focus on generating economic activity within Afghanistan to ensure a sustainable future, avoid economic meltdown and prevent exodus of refugees. Exploring realistic pathways towards unfreezing Afghanistan’s financial assets would be a key first step.

Five, we should devise a roadmap of cooperation with the Afghan authorities based on a ‘hierarchy of priorities’, especially where the Interim Afghan Government has shown a commitment to act. We particularly welcome the renewed emphasis placed during this meeting on strengthening counter-terrorism cooperation between Afghanistan and the neighbouring countries.

Six, greater coordination between regional and international efforts on Afghanistan remain equally important. Building synergies with the OIC, including the OIC Trust Fund, would amplify our collective efforts to help and assist the Afghan people.

Seven, we cannot talk of the Afghan people without talking to them. Constructive engagement with the Interim Afghan Government remains imperative. As friends and neighbours, we don’t have the luxury to disengage with Afghanistan.