ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that the blame on Pakistan for the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan is illogical.
In his interview with RT, Russian state-controlled broadcaster, the prime minister said it implied that Islamabad was stronger in terms of economy and military than Washington and all the European countries combined.
How could Pakistan with a 60,000- to 70,000-strong militia carrying ageing weaponry succeed in defeating an [Afghanistan] army of 300,000 soldiers. “Unfortunately, a propaganda campaign was started against Pakistan.”
The propaganda was started to divert attention from the incapacity, corruption and lack of governance in the Ghani government, he noted.
The prime minister said the majority of people in Afghanistan considered the Ghani government a puppet of the West, and noted there was no respect in the eyes of the people for his government.
The second stakeholder in this propaganda was India which had made a massive investment in Afghanistan over the years following the US invasion of that country in 2001, he explained. India began and promoted this propaganda [against Pakistan], he said.
Khan also asked how could an army of 300,000 soldiers did not fight and melted in the face of Taliban advances, wondering whether Pakistan had stopped it from fighting.
The prime minister said a comprehensive analysis should be done to assess the reasons as to why the army of the “bravest nation of the world” surrendered without putting up a fight.
Expressing his vision of the future government in Kabul under the Taliban, Imran Khan said Pakistan wanted to see all ethnic groups in Afghanistan represented in the next cabinet which he said would strengthen the war-ravaged nation and bring stability.
He said Islamabad believed “that in the interest of Afghanistan and for long term stability an inclusive government should be formed to strengthen unity there”.
He said Pakistan was working with Afghanistan’s neighbouring governments to determine what Kabul should do to secure international recognition.
The first important step would be the establishment of an inclusive government in Kabul, Khan stressed.
Observing that Afghans were a diverse nation, he said the Taliban were primarily a Pashtun group and Pashtuns, despite being a majority, still constituted only half of the entire population. “There are also Tajiks, Uzbeks and Hazaras who are [present] in large numbers.”
He said the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation was an important meeting because it was attended by the neighbours of Afghanistan since the Kabul question was important for the entire region.
Presently, Afghanistan was standing at historic crossroads and from here, it would either move towards stability after four-decade of wars or it would go in a wrong direction giving birth to yet another humanitarian and refugee crisis.
Khan said Pakistan was a part of the international community and it will continue to follow the lead of the international community in seeing how the situation evolves in Afghanistan.
From the viewpoint of Pakistan, he said, terrorism emanating from the soil of Afghanistan is another challenge and noted during the government of President Ashraf Ghani, at least three Afghanistan-based militant groups were perpetrating terrorism inside Pakistan.
Responding to a question, Khan said Iran was a neighbour and a “civilised relationship” with Tehran would promote trade between the two nations and would be beneficial for the entire region.
Saudi Arabia was among the closest allies of Pakistan and was a friend that always helped Islamabad, he added.
“So, we are interested [if] an understanding [is reached] between the two countries [Saudi and Iran] as a military conflict between them would be destructive for the region.”
Such a conflict would also impact the petrol prices that have already, because of global economic recovery following the pandemic, gone up, he noted with concern.
Khan was of the view the oil prices hit people indiscriminately and the increase in the prices of allied/edible items would also impact the poor.
So, not only Pakistan but every country ought to make sure that the relationship between Saudi and Iran improves, he added.
