MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th September, 2021) Pakistan is ready to discuss the situation with refugees from Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban (a terrorist organization, banned in Russia) takeover with all countries that are willing to help, Pakistani Ambassador to Russia Shafqat Ali Khan said in an interview with Sputnik.
The European Union has promised financial assistance to countries neighboring Afghanistan which would agree to take in Afghan refugees � a deal similar to one it had with Turkey. The bloc's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera last Monday that member states should step up cooperation with these countries and help them with the first wave of refugees.
"We are open to discuss the refugee issue with everyone, all our friends. We are open to that. But what are the modalities? And we have been requesting international community for a very long time that they have to share the burden of refugees on their territory. So we look at it like that: if friendly countries want to come and help � most welcome," the Pakistani ambassador said.
He recalled that no country had hosted more Afghan refugees during the 20-year war than Pakistan, noting that between 3 to 4 million refugees are currently in the Pakistani territory, but Islamabad has received no support from international community for accommodating them.
"So we look at it as not a special favor. If one country is hosting so many refugees, the international community should help them. But at the same time, there is no additional special obligation or some kind of deal making. That it's a humanitarian issue. Assistance has to be provided," Khan said.
The responsibility for hosting refugees must be shared internationally and Pakistan expects the European Union not to try to impose the entire burden on a few countries neighboring Afghanistan, he said.
"Let's sit down and discuss with [the EU] them because my point is that it is a collective responsibility. You can't just impose that on two-three countries because they are the neighbors, they should take everything, all the load. But ... we can discuss what kind of burden sharing can be there," he said.
Any discussions on this matter are "very preliminary" at this point, however, because everyone has been just trying to keep up with the pace of events unfolding in Kabul, the diplomat said.
Meanwhile, having completed their tasks of immediate priority, such as evacuations and relocation of embassies, European countries are not completely out of the woods yet because a second Afghan migration wave is coming, Khan warned. This second wave carries spillover risks of Afghanistan's insecurity for Europe and other potential host regions, he added.
"You cannot have trouble in one region and remain immune from that. So if there is continued instability, one dimension is the refugees. Where do they go? They leave their country, they come to neighboring countries, they go to the surrounding countries, then to the European countries. So that brings up the point that Afghanistan cannot be, should not be neglected. The international community has to work together to bring stability and peace in Afghanistan," Khan said.
An inclusive government is instrumental to achieving peace and stability in Afghanistan and ultimately drive terrorists out, he argued, adding that "ISIS [Islamic State terrorist group, banned in Russia] has been going on for some time."
"We hope that if there's an inclusive government [then] there is more stability in Afghanistan. It will help us all, Afghan government and also the regional countries, to take care of the terrorism problem in Afghanistan," the ambassador said.
