Doha, 02 May 2023 (QT)

By Ashraf Siddiqui

PAKISTANI State Minister for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar has underscored the need for the global community to join hands to make Afghanistan economically viable and stable, stressing that pushing the Afghan girls, boys and people to economic starvation cannot lead to any solution and it is against the fundamental rights of 40 million Afghan people.

Talking exclusively to Qatar Tribune on the sidelines of the UN Conference on Afghanistan, which kicked off in Doha on Monday, Khar said the world community is required to keep politics aside and come together to meet the real needs of the Afghan people.

She said, “The important step now is to empower Afghans economically, so that they may be able to make their own future, no matter under what type of regime they live. They have fundamental rights and it is a fundamental duty of the world body.

Broadly speaking, the entire world community’s objectives are similar. I think nobody says that they do not want peace and security in Afghanistan. What we need to do is to make a real assessment of the useful kits. Disengagement policy is not the solution. There is a need for change in behaviour to engage with Afghans. We would rather end up die trying, but we cannot give up hope for the people of Afghanistan.”

Answering a question about the Afghan regime’s attitude and policy towards women’s fundamental rights, Pakistan’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs said, “Pakistan’s stated policy is very clear. Islam does not prohibit women from participating in the economy, Islam does not prohibit women from getting education, rather instructs girls and boys, men and women to get education. “For us, it is not an Islamic issue. We have made it very clear. What Afghan policy makers have taken direction in this regard is not being useful at all.

However, we do not encourage economic starvation of girls and children, because they are not being treated well. It is exceptionally important that we understand the economic starvation is not the answer.”

The two-day UN Conference on Afghanistan took off with the participation of special envoys for Afghanistan from around 25 countries along with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.