ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Wednesday dismissed allegations levelled by the US administration regarding Pakistan’s role in Afghanistan, saying that the country did not provide any military support to the Taliban.
“We have only facilitated the Islamist group to bring them to the table at the request of United States,” the Interior Minister said while addressing a ceremony at Women Chamber of Commerce in Rawalpindi.
The statement came a day after a bill, titled ‘Afghanistan Counterterrorism, Oversight, and Accountability Act’, seeking imposition of sanctions on the Afghan Taliban that could also potentially extend to Pakistan was tabled in the US Senate.
Addressing the ceremony, Rashid said Pakistan wanted the world to engage with the Taliban so that peace can prevail in the neighbouring country. “We are standing with the world and we want the world to stand with Afghanistan,” he added.
Highlighting Pakistan’s role in Afghanistan, Rashid said Pakistan helped evacuate 20,000 to 22,000 people and the process would continue till October 30, adding that the entire world lauded Pakistan’s efforts in this regard.
He further said that Pakistan’s geostrategic position was very important and the world powers understood its importance. “We will face more challenges in future as well but we will emerge victorious eventually,” Rashid assured.
The minister also criticized India’s role in Afghanistan, saying that India suffered humiliation in the war-torn country and was now trying to harm Pakistan in any way possible.
“India had spread fake news regarding the New Zealand cricket team’s tour to Pakistan,” he said, adding that Pakistani people love cricket but they are not dying for New Zealand. “It is not like we have stopped eating after New Zealand’s departure,” he added.
“The entire New Zealand army is not as large as the security we provided to them in Pakistan,” he claimed, adding, “We still provided them top notch security after the cancellation of the tour so they do not say that we did not take care of them properly”.
