PM Will Decide Whether To Recognize Taliban Govt Or Not: Sheikh Rashid

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PM will decide whether to recognize Taliban govt or not: Sheikh Rashid

The Interior Minister says that all attempts to make Pakistan a scapegoat have failed.

ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-August 18th, 2021) Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid on Wednesday said that all attempts to make Pakistan a scapegoat had failed.

Sheikh Rahid said that Prime Minister Imran Khan tried to convince former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani but he didn’t listen.

He was addressing a press conference in Islamabad.

The Interior Minister said that the prime minister would decide whether to recognize the Taliban government or not.

Rashid while rejecting Indian media reports of Pakistan receiving refugee from Afghanistan said that neither Pakistan would interfere in Afghanistan nor we would allow anyone to do it here.

He said there was complete peace and tranquility at Torkham and Chaman borders which are open for movement, trade and transit visa facility.

The minister went on to say that we are advocates of peace and we will not allow anyone s land to be used against us and we will not allow our land to be used against anyone.

“On the directives of the prime minister, on-arrival visas would be issued to those coming from Afghanistan while visas would also be issued to journalists coming from Afghanistan,” he said.

He said, “Pakistan has played a significant role in bringing the US and Taliban to the tale.”

Sheikh Rashid Ahmed also said all security related departments were fully alert for maintenance of law and order situation on the occasion of Ashura. He said additional security personnel have been deployed for the security of mourning processions. He said the mobile service had temporarily been suspended at some places for the security of the people.

The Minister asked the participants of the processions to adhere to the SOPs to avoid the spread of COVID-19.

Strongly rejecting the Indian propaganda regarding Pakistan's border situation, the Interior Minister said there is complete peace and tranquility at Torkham and Chaman borders which are open for movement, trade and transit visa facility. He however clarified that Pakistan has not received any refugee.

He said three buses with one hundred to one hundred twenty Pakistanis on board were cleared early this morning at Torkham border. He said six hundred and thirteen Pakistanis have so far been brought back from Afghanistan since 14th August. He said our effort is to bring back all those Pakistanis willing to return to homeland in the next two days.

Sheikh Rashid said Pakistan has also evacuated about nine hundred diplomats and foreign media journalists from Afghanistan.

The Interior Minister said Pakistan advocates peace and a peaceful and stable Afghanistan is in the interest of Pakistan. He expressed the confidence that the situation will improve in Afghanistan.

Sheikh Rashid said the government has completed three years in power and it will strive to address the problems of the people in the remaining two years.

Fida Hussnain

Fida Hussnain is a lahore based journalist. He writes on politics, religion, social issues and climate change. He is also a research fellow at University of Gujrat.