Amir Muttaqi, the acting foreign minister for Afghanistan, made a suggestion for a meeting between the Pakistani government and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a banned organization, on Monday in Islamabad.
Muttaqi claimed that the Afghan Taliban had started negotiations between Islamabad and the TTP while speaking at the Institute of Strategic Studies in Islamabad. He insisted, “We do not want any bloodshed and unrest on the land of Pakistan. He added that the two neighboring nations face significant political and security challenges. The acting FM responded to the Afghan interim government’s ban on girls attending school by claiming that the Taliban never said that women’s education was “prohibited” or “un-Islamic.”
He furthered that the Afghan Taliban have said that educational activities will remain suspended until further orders.
Muttaqi also said that Afghanistan’s territory will not be allowed to be used against any country, adding that “Pakistan and Afghanistan have to jointly invest in infrastructure, especially railways, and corridor projects”.
He added that the people of Pakistan and Afghanistan have made sacrifices and now “we have to take advantage of the opportunities for economic development”.
The acting FM also stressed the fact that economic connectivity with Pakistan and central Asian countries is important.
Talking about the Afghan economic situation, Muttaqi said that the Taliban government tried to overcome the challenges in 20 months.
He added that according to a World Bank report, inflation has decreased in the war-torn country and the Afghan currency has also stabilised.
The Afghan FM is currently on a four-day visit to Pakistan. Besides holding bilateral meetings, Muttaqi also participated in the 5th China-Pakistan-Afghanistan Trilateral Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue on Saturday.
In February, a high-level delegation led by Pakistan’s defence minister had visited Kabul and conveyed its concerns, and told the Afghan interim government that the policy of holding talks with the TTP was over.
The visit had come against the backdrop of a surge in terrorist attacks in Pakistan. Attacks in Peshawar Police Lines and Karachi Police Office had compelled Pakistani authorities to reach out to the Afghan Taliban.
