Pakistan involved in harbouring Taliban, must ‘line up’: Blinken

Pakistan has “harboured” members of the Taliban, including terrorists from the proscribed Haqqani Network, and wishes to “line up” with a broad majority of the international community regarding Afghanistan, US secretary of state Antony Blinken said on Monday. the highest diplomat said Pakistan features a “multiplicity of interests”, including some that are in “clear conflict” thereupon of the us , when asked about how the US sees Islamabad’s involvement in Afghanistan. Blinken, while testifying before Congress on the Taliban victory in Afghanistan, said India’s involvement in Afghanistan has influenced some “detrimental” actions by Pakistan.

What we’ve to seem at is an insistence that each country, to incorporate Pakistan, observe on the expectations that the international community has of what’s required of a Taliban-led government if it’s to receive any legitimacy of any kind or any support,” Blinken told the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “So Pakistan must line up with a broad majority of the international community in working toward those ends and in upholding those expectations,” Blinken said.

Pakistan has had deep ties with the Taliban and has been accused of supporting the group overtly and covertly. Those charges are denied by Islamabad. Pakistan is additionally considered together of the 2 countries, along side Qatar, with the foremost influence over the Taliban. it’s also an area where many senior Taliban leaders were thought to possess escaped to after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. Former Afghan vice chairman Amrullah Saleh alleged earlier this month the Taliban are being micromanaged by ISI—Pakistan’s notorious intelligence agency—and that Islamabad is responsible of Afghanistan effectively as a colonial power.

US lawmaker Bill Keating during the testimony reminded Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s remarks after the Taliban seized control. “Prime Minister Khan claimed Afghanistan had broken the shackles of slavery. So we wont to always hear diplomatically that we’ve a sophisticated relationship with Pakistan. i might say it’s often duplicitous,” he said.

He said that Pakistan’s ISI had such strong ties in cooperation with the Haqqani Network, “responsible for therefore many things including the deaths of a number of our soldiers, and even recently when the Taliban took over within the last month”.

Keating asked Blinken how the US can reassess that relationship “how we, how we learn from their actions” also as how forward. Blinken said Pakistan is involved in “hedging its bets constantly” about the longer term of Afghanistan. “It’s one that’s involved harbouring members of the Taliban, including the Haqqanis. It’s one that’s also involved at different points, cooperation with us on counterterrorism, then there are variety of things that have inherit play it. it’s a multiplicity of interests, some that are in conflict, clear conflict with ours,” Blinken said.

When it involves Afghanistan, it’s focused, in fact also , on, on India and therefore the role that India is playing in Afghanistan, and it’s at it through that prism also . All of those things, I think, have influenced what it’s done on many occasions detrimental to our interests. On other occasions in support of these interests,” Blinken added.

The US top diplomat said that if the Taliban want any legitimacy or any support going forward, it must ensure freedom of visit include making good on its commitments on not allowing Afghanistan to be used as a haven for outward-directed terrorism to incorporate upholding the essential rights of the Afghan people.

Democratic Representative Joaquin Castro also called on the us to think about removing its status as a serious non-Nato ally, which provides Pakistan privileged access to US weaponry.