Pakistan coaches IEA on winning international recognition

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi gave Afghanistan’s new Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) rulers advice Thursday on how to gain international recognition, during a visit to Kabul.

After returning to Islamabad, Qureshi said he advised Islamic Emirate leaders on how to improve their reputation.

“As a neighbour and as a well-wisher and friend, I conveyed to them what sort of steps they could take to enhance their international acceptability,” Qureshi said.

Qureshi, who was joined by Pakistan’s intelligence chief, said he met with the Taliban’s acting prime minister Hasan Akhund and most cabinet members during his brief visit to Kabul on Thursday.

They discussed forming a broader-based government, respecting women’s rights and girls’ need for education and clamping down on international terrorist organisations, Qureshi said.

“If they show fair progress on these issues, the stage for recognition would become easier for them,” he said at a press conference, adding that the “environment is getting better” for recognition.

Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi called Qureshi’s visit a “very good interaction” during which trade and reopening of the borders was discussed.

Qureshi is the third foreign minister after those of Qatar and Uzbekistan to visit Afghanistan since the IEA took power in mid-August.