Islamabad rejects all allegations claiming that Pakistan controls the situation in Afghanistan, Pakistani Ambassador to Russia Shafqat Ali Khan has told Sputnik.
In late August, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that Islamabad “has a special responsibility” for the situation in Afghanistan “partly because of Pakistan’s close relationship to the Taliban*”. Many Afghans who oppose the Taliban have criticised Islamabad on social media, while the hashtag #SanctionPakistan trended on Twitter during the militant movement’s offensive and the fall of Kabul.
“So it’s not that we have a kind of a control over Afghanistan, but geography, culture, history, and, of course, language and the fact that there are four million refugees living in Pakistan. That gives us some kind of a role, but not control over a situation. The solution and dealing with the challenge is a collective responsibility”, Khan said, adding that Moscow “understands that point very well”.
The diplomat also said that “everyone knows you can’t dictate to Afghans” as proven by the country’s history.
“I hope [that it is] not [NATO attempting to shift all responsibility for Afghanistan on Pakistan] because western countries understand that the withdrawal of forces does not mean that they have washed their hands. They can’t. Refugees are just one manifestation. There can be darker consequences: drugs, human smuggling, narcotics, terrorism”, Khan added.
