Islamabad has been characterised as a “major player” in Afghan politics by a group of Afghan leaders visiting Pakistan.
A group of Afghan politicians led by Speaker Wolesi Jirga Mir Rehman Rehmani, Salahud din Rabbani, Mohammad Yunus Qanooni, Ustad Mohammad Karim Khalili, Ahmad Zia Massoud, Ahmad Wali Massoud, Abdul Latif Pedram, and Khalid Noor arrived in Pakistan a day after the Taliban seized control of Kabul.
“We held meetings with Prime Minister Imran Khan, army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and DG ISI,” said the delegation during a news conference today”
“We will especially like to thank the army chief and DG ISI,” it added, saying that Pakistan had agreed to extend its cooperation in the days to come.
The group said that a new chapter in Afghanistan-Pakistan ties will be started, and that Islamabad will be an essential role in achieving regional peace. Pakistan had sent a positive message during talks to discuss Afghanistan’s future, according to the report.
The delegation emphasised that it had met with Pakistan’s leadership with the express goal of forming an inclusive government in Afghanistan, and that women’s rights was one of the major demands of its people.
It cautioned the Taliban that if it “repeated past mistakes,” it would not be able to last long, and that seizing land during a battle and administering it were two different things.
“Everything the Taliban have said, till now, are mere words,” said the delegation. “Their actions will make the difference.”
The group went on to say that today’s Afghanistan was quite different from that of 1966, and that the young were more technologically oriented.
The Afghan delegation said that it want to see an inclusive administration in place that would represent all Afghan communities. “We want rights of minorities, women and press freedom guaranteed,” it said.
Afghan politicians slammed Ashraf Ghani, claiming that it was obvious from the start of the war that he would leave.
“Ashraf Ghani says he left the country with only his sandals. If allegations are to be believed, he absconded with $69mn,” said the delegation.
The Afghan delegation expressed its desire for peaceful ties with Pakistan, emphasising that the events of the past should not be repeated.
“We chose Pakistan as the first country to seek support,” it added.
