ISLAMABAD: Any sustainable solution in war-battered Afghanistan must include Pakistan, a senior Republican Senator said Saturday.
Calling the region “very complicated” and the current period “very dangerous”, Lindsey Graham reminded the American establishment in a series of tweets that “Pakistan is a nuclear-armed nation, and there is a Pakistan version of the Taliban who wishes to topple the Pakistani government and military”, in an apparent reference to the proscribed Afghanistan-based Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.
Any sustainable solution in Afghanistan must include Pakistan.
We all must remember Pakistan is a nuclear-armed nation, and there is a Pakistan version of the Taliban who wishes topple the Pakistani government and military.
Very complicated region and dangerous times.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) August 27, 2021
Therefore, “any sustainable solution in Afghanistan must include Pakistan,” he said.
Graham said he spoke with Pakistan’s Ambassador in Washington, Asad Majeed Khan, about the situation in Afghanistan.
Responding to his tweet, Khan recalled he briefed Graham on Pakistan’s efforts to support evacuations from Afghanistan.
“Very much appreciate the efforts of the Pakistani government to assist with the evacuation of US citizens, our allies, and other nations,” Graham said.
In recent days, Pakistan has decided against going it alone with regard to extending recognition to the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate government. The government said it would take a decision on the matter “in consultation with regional and international powers, especially China, Turkey and the United States of America.”
While it has not officially announced a government yet, the group, which captured Kabul on August 15, has been quietly appointing their leaders to different administrative and political offices in the country.
Earlier this week, they appointed senior veterans to the posts of finance minister and defence minister — appointments a commander said were provisional.
While appointing loyalists to senior positions, the Taliban have also ordered mid-level officials at the finance ministry and central bank to return to work.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told reporters in Kabul on Tuesday that it “was time for people to work for their country”.
