ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that Pakistan is pushing fora political settlement in Afghanistan before foreign troops leave laterthis year, to reduce the risk of civil war in its western neighbour.
“There is a lot of fear right now in Pakistan and I assure you that we aretrying our level best that there is some sort of political settlementbefore the Americans leave,” he told a British news agency on Friday.
The United States has said it will withdraw all its troops from Afghanistanon Sept 11 after a two-decade presence. More than 20 allied countries planto follow suit, the news agency reported.
“Since the moment the Americans gave a date, of when they were going toleave Afghanistan, the Taliban feel they have won the war,” Imran Khansaid, adding it was not going to be easy to get concessions from theTaliban after the US decision.
ZALMAY KHALILZAD
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He said that Pakistan would suffer the most, after Afghanistan itself, ifthere was civil war and a refugee crisis. “And then there would be pressureon us to jump in and become a part of it.” He said his government hadchanged Pakistan’s decades-long policy of pushing for strategic depth inAfghanistan to ensure that there was a friendly government there.
“Any Afghan government chosen by the people is who Pakistan should dealwith,” the prime minister said, adding that Pakistan should not try to doany manipulation in Afghanistan. He said a lot depended on US special envoyZalmay Khalilzad, with Pakistan’s and Afghanistan’s help, to carve out asettlement to avoid more bloodshed.
