ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s ambassador to Afghanistan arrived back in Kabul Wednesday, days after the Taliban took over control of the capital city, Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said.
Mansoor Ahmad Khan returned to Kabul by road via the Torkham border, a key crossing point between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Rasheed told reporters in Islamabad.
Khan returned to Islamabad on July 19, a day after the government of former president Ashraf Ghani called back its mission following the purported kidnapping of the daughter of Afghanistan ambassador in Islamabad.
“Situation along with our borders is normal, even our ambassador today went back to Kabul by road via Torkham,” Ahmed said while referring to some foreign media reports of tense situation at the Torkham border after the Taliban took over control of the Nangarhar province.
There is now peace in Afghanistan and over 800 trucks crossed via our borders to Afghanistan, he added.
Sharing details of Pakistan’s efforts to facilitate the evacuation of personnel and staff of diplomatic missions, international organisations, media, and others from Afghanistan, the minister said so far 900 diplomats, foreign nationals, and 613 Pakistan nationals have arrived in the country.
Responding to a question to recognise the Taliban government in Kabul, Ahmed said this decision will be made by Prime Minister Imran Khan and the Foreign Ministry.
He also welcomed the Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid’s statement to not allow his country’s soil to be used against neighbours and any other country.
“Pakistan will also not allow anyone to use its soil against Afghanistan,” Ahmed said.
Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed on Wednesday also said that the attempts to make Pakistan a scapegoat have failed, adding that Prime Minister Imran Khan tried to convince former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani but he did not listen.
The interior minister said that the prime minister will decide whether to recognize the Taliban government or not.
Rasheed while rejecting Indian media reports of Pakistan receiving refugees from Afghanistan said that neither Pakistan would interfere in Afghanistan nor we would allow anyone to do it here.
He said there is complete peace and tranquillity at Torkham and Chaman borders which are open for movement, trade and transit visa facilities.
The minister said that Pakistan had evacuated around 900 foreign officials and diplomats from Afghanistan, and added that a special cell had been established in the interior ministry which was functioning 24 hours.
The interior minister said immigration officials have been instructed to provide visas on arrival to diplomats and foreign media.
“No Afghan refugees are coming to Pakistan. We are giving transit visas to all diplomats, media and staff of other institutions,” he said.
Responding to a question, the interior minister said that neither Pakistan will interfere in Afghanistan nor will it allow anyone in Pakistan.
The interior minister expressed confidence that the situation will improve in Afghanistan.
The minister went on to say that we are advocates of peace and we will not allow anyone’s land to be used against us and we will not allow our land to be used against anyone.
“On the directives of the prime minister, on-arrival visas would be issued to those coming from Afghanistan while visas would also be issued to journalists coming from Afghanistan,” he said.
He said, “Pakistan has played a significant role in bringing the US and Taliban to the table.”
On Tuesday, in his maiden news conference in Kabul, Zabihullah Mujahid said that they want to promise the US, and others that the Afghan soil will not be used to harm other countries.
Successive military operations from 2009 to 2014 in Swat, North Waziristan, South Waziristan, and other towns along with the Afghanistan border had pushed the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan towards the war-battered country. The terrorist group has now set up bases across the border to attack Pakistan’s security forces.
In a February 3 report to the UN Security Council, the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team said the TTP carried out over 100 cross-border attacks from Afghanistan in Pakistan between July and October 2020.
