WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s US and UN envoys have assured the international community that Islamabad would follow their lead, particularly that of the “extended troika”, in offering diplomatic recognition to a Taliban government in Afghanistan.

In an interview to CBS News broadcast on Tuesday evening, Pakistan’s US Ambassador Asad Majeed Khan said how the Taliban conduct themselves now will also influence Pakistan’s decision.

“They want acceptance and recognition by the international community and we should use that leverage in order to ensure good behaviour on their part,” added Pakistan’s UN ambassador, Munir Akram.

Asked if Pakistan will recognise the new Taliban government, Ambassador Khan said: “We’ve been working closely with the international community, including the United States, and we will continue to follow the lead of the international community in seeing how the situation evolves in Afghanistan.”

In an interview to Fox News, Ambassador Akram suggested “looking ahead and to see how we can influence and evolve the situation in directions which serve the interests of Afghanistan, of the region and of the international community”.

Ambassador Khan referred to reports from Afghanistan “indicating that so far Taliban have listened to the international community” on issues like human rights and girls’ education and hoped they would continue to do so.

“We should verify their behaviour, hold them to those assurances, and we should monitor the situation and see how it evolves,” said Ambassador Akram.

“But at the same time, it’s a welcome fact that they are giving those assurances and they are giving those assurances because they know that the international community is watching,”

In reply to a question about diplomatic recognition, Ambassador Khan said: “We are closely following the situation and certainly will work with the international community, particularly the `extended troika’, to get to the point where that recognition is needed or required.”

The extended troika, which includes Pakistan, China, Russia and the United States, is trying to evolve a regional response to the situation in Afghanistan.

On Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with the foreign ministers of Pakistan, China and Russia to discuss the Afghan situation. His office confirmed the call, but did not give details of his conversation with his troika counterparts.

Asked if the Taliban takeover in Kabul had complicated the relationship between Pakistan and the US, Ambassador Khan said the two allies had worked closely on Afghanistan before and will continue to do so in the future too.

Ambassador Akram said the US and Pakistan were already working together to ensure the evacuation of those who wanted to leave Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover. The US and Pakistan were also working in Doha to evolve a representative government in Kabul.

Ambassador Majeed Khan said that on Monday Secretary Blinken and the Pakistani foreign minister exchanged views on how to deal with the evolving situation in Afghanistan.

“We want to do whatever we can to support the peace process because if it leads back to deep pockets and private militias, then it is of course a concern for Pakistan,” he added.

Ambassador Khan rejected the suggestion that Pakistan helped the Taliban launch their most recent offensive on Kabul. A closer look at the events unfolding in Afghanistan, would show the fallacy of such suggestions, he said.

“It’s also a moment for reflection and introspection,” he added, pointing out that “successive Afghan governments have used Pakistan’s alleged support to the Taliban as an excuse and as an afterthought.”

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2021