Pakistan envoy concerned Afghanistan is being ‘forgotten’

Another 9/11 could originate from Afghanistan, which has been forgotten by the international community, Pakistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan Asif Durrani said on Monday.

“Afghanistan has almost been forgotten. There is no doubt about it and this was in fact highlighted during the Doha 3 session in June.

“Humanitarian assistance is not up to the mark. Even last year only one-third of the commitments were fulfilled,” said Durrani.

He pointed out that the Ukraine war and the Israel-Palestine conflict has pushed Afghanistan out of the international spotlight, leaving it forgotten by the world.

He said with the limited news on the country in the media around the world, he thinks “it can push back Afghanistan to pre-9/11 conditions and which in fact then give birth to 9/11.”

Durrani warned that the dire economic situation could force Afghans to leave the country and head to Pakistan.

“This is something we should be sensitive about and the international community should know their responsibilities,” he added.

He also warned that reports of the presence of different terrorist groups, including Daesh, was a major challenge for the region and beyond.

“My worry is that ISKP (Daesh) is gaining ground inside Afghanistan and that should be a source of concern for everyone in the region and beyond because of their actions in Iran, their actions in Moscow and also many operations inside Pakistan. If that can happen here it can happen elsewhere.”

“So it should be a concern for everyone.”

However, Durrani also said he thinks the Islamic Emirate is on the path to being recognized internationally.

“We should not forget that they are faced with tremendous challenges. Number 1, they are not recognised by any country, secondly, when they came to power, their coffers were empty, thirdly, they were not expecting a meltdown of Ashraf Ghani government.”

“On the balance, if you look at it during the past 3 years, I think the security situation in Afghanistan has improved, there is less corruption, which is internationally acknowledged,” he added.

But Durrani questioned the Islamic Emirate’s actions in some aspects.

“The Afghan Taliban (Islamic Emirate) have also implemented certain rules and regulations which in fact may suit the Afghan conditions but certainly do not fit into the Islamic tenets which they claim they have implemented,” he said.

He welcomed the improved security situation in Afghanistan but said peace has become a problem for Pakistan as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have increased attacks on Pakistan by 70 percent in the past three years.

The Islamic Emirate has long been accused by Pakistan of allowing TTP to plot and plan attacks from Afghanistan.

On this, Durrani said diplomacy was working and he was confident the issue would be resolved.

Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan said that the entire country is under the control of the forces of the Islamic Emirate and is safe.

The Deputy Spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, Hamdullah Fitrat, said Afghanistan is not a threat to any country and the Islamic Emirate has made it clear that it does not allow the territory of Afghanistan to be used against the security of any other country.

“Rejecting any concerns on this matter, we say once again that the entire geography of Afghanistan is under the control of the forces of the Islamic Emirate and is safe,” said Fitrat.