Khar questions western powers’ double standards about Israel’s aggression
Pakistan’s former Foreign Minister and currently Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs of the National Assembly, MsHinaRabbaniKhar has said that war in Gaza and its military and diplomatic support has exposed the major powers, with Israel being let off with impunity.
Israel is committing war crimes and the world particularly the Western powers seem little interested in resolving this worst human crisis, she said while addressing a discourse ‘Transforming Regional Dynamics and Architecture: Pakistan’s Posture’ hosted by the Center for Afghanistan Middle East and Africa (CAMEA) here Friday.
She was the keynote speaker at the session. Khar said that the world is transforming and people are fighting for primacy for the rule of the world.
She further said that South Asia has suffered due to a lack of good bilateral relationships. Pakistan is centrally located in South Asia, and collectively the region has not performed well in addressing the challenges. Countries that do not learn from their mistakes are continuously suffering and history and geography are two constants that cannot be changed, she concluded.
Other speakers included Ms. Amina Khan, Director, CAMEA, Ambassador AsifDurrani, Pakistan’s former Special Representative on Afghanistan, Mr. Kawa Hassan, Non-resident Fellow with Stimson’s Middle East program, Mr. Haroon Sharif, former Minister and Chairman BOI, Michael Kugelman, Director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. and Mr. Leo Wigger, Associate Partner, Candid Foundation, Germany. Ambassador AsifDurrani, speaking on ‘Sustainable Peace and Security in Post-Taliban Afghanistan’ highlighted Afghanistan’s fragile stability under the Taliban rule, marked by dire economic conditions and widespread poverty. While noting governance improvements like reduced corruption and counter-narcotics efforts, he criticized the Taliban’s ban on women’s education and work, which have drawn international condemnation and deepened their isolation. He warned that this isolation enables terrorist groups like ISKP and TTP to exploit Afghan soil, posing regional and global threats. Emphasizing a regional approach, he called for Pakistan to play a pivotal role by initiating counterterrorism dialogue with the Taliban and addressing India’s destabilizing actions, such as financing terrorist groups through Afghan proxies.
Ms. Amina Khan, in her welcome remarks stated that the regional strategic landscape has been fundamentally reshaped by 3 major factors: great power competition; fast-changing events in neighbouring Afghanistan and regional connectivity in South and Central Asia. She said that those developments have prompted Pakistan to reevaluate its diplomatic strategies and find ways to navigate its national interests while maintaining its regional influence.
Kawa Hassan, while talking about ‘Geopolitical Shifts in the Middle East,’ emphasized transformative impact of recent events in the Middle East, including the October 7th and the November 27th events.
