Aamir Latif
17 August 2021•Update: 18 August 2021
KARACHI, Pakistan
US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke to Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi by phone on the rapidly changing situation in Afghanistan, which is gripped by uncertainty and fear since the Taliban takeover.
Reiterating Pakistan's stance for an inclusive political settlement, Qureshi said Islamabad will remain "closely" engaged with the US and other international partners in promoting efforts in support of a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, a statement by Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said late Monday.
He also apprised Blinken of Pakistan’s efforts to facilitate the evacuation of personnel and staff of diplomatic missions, international organizations, media, and others.
The Taliban entered Kabul on Sunday and took control of Afghanistan. The Afghan government has collapsed and President Ashraf Ghani fled abroad as foreign troops withdrew.
Islamabad is said to have influence over the Taliban, and thus has an important role in the Afghan peace process.
In December 2018, Pakistan arranged rare direct talks between the US and the Taliban, which led to the Doha peace deal in February 2020, and subsequently, the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghan soil.
In July 2015, Islamabad also facilitated the historic first round of direct talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in Pakistan.
The process, however, broke down after the news of Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omar's death surfaced, triggering a bitter internal power struggle.
It was hampered further in 2016 by the assassination of Omer's successor, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, in a US drone strike on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Former US President Donald Trump stepped up efforts in August 2019 to restart the long-stalled process, seeking Pakistan's assistance in ending Washington's longest war in recent history.
On Aug. 10, a senior government official said Pakistan would not allow more Afghans to take refuge in the country, citing economic constraints as the reason for Islamabad’s position.
Speaking to reporters from foreign media outlets, National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf said Pakistan is already hosting over 3 million Afghan refugees and a further increase in the number will not be feasible for the country.
“The counsel we are getting is that we should be ready to open our borders [to Afghans] again. We would, honestly, [do that] for our Afghan brothers and sisters, but we are simply not in a position to do that economically,” he said, referring to a recent US State Department statement that urged Islamabad to take in more Afghans.
He said a new wave of refugees will give rise to resentment among Pakistanis because “local economies can’t absorb it anymore.”
Islamabad also fears that terrorists based in Afghanistan will try to slip into Pakistan disguised as refugees, the official added.
