Pakistan’s FM warns of consequences to IEA isolation

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari wants the world to engage the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) and has warned of dangerous consequences if Afghanistan’s rulers are again isolated.

In an interview with AFP, Zardari cautioned against creating “parallel governance” after the United States, distrustful of the IEA, put Afghanistan’s frozen assets in a professional fund in Switzerland.

“We’ve learned from the past that when we wash our hands and turn our backs, we end up creating unintended consequences and more problems for ourselves,” Zardari said on Tuesday.

“I believe that our concerns of an economic collapse, of an exodus of refugees, of a threat of new recruits for organisations such as ISIS-K and others, outweigh concerns that there may be about their financial institutions,” he added.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had expressed similar views while addressing the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly last week.