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Pakistan envoy concerned Afghanistan is being ‘forgotten’
Durrani warned that the dire economic situation could force Afghans to leave the country and head to Pakistan.
Another 9/11 could originate from Afghanistan, which has been forgotten by the international community, Pakistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan Asif Durrani said on Monday.
“Afghanistan has almost been forgotten. There is no doubt about it and this was in fact highlighted during the Doha 3 session in June.
“Humanitarian assistance is not up to the mark. Even last year only one-third of the commitments were fulfilled,” said Durrani.
He pointed out that the Ukraine war and the Israel-Palestine conflict has pushed Afghanistan out of the international spotlight, leaving it forgotten by the world.
He said with the limited news on the country in the media around the world, he thinks “it can push back Afghanistan to pre-9/11 conditions and which in fact then give birth to 9/11.”
Durrani warned that the dire economic situation could force Afghans to leave the country and head to Pakistan.
“This is something we should be sensitive about and the international community should know their responsibilities,” he added.
He also warned that reports of the presence of different terrorist groups, including Daesh, was a major challenge for the region and beyond.
“My worry is that ISKP (Daesh) is gaining ground inside Afghanistan and that should be a source of concern for everyone in the region and beyond because of their actions in Iran, their actions in Moscow and also many operations inside Pakistan. If that can happen here it can happen elsewhere.”
“So it should be a concern for everyone.”
However, Durrani also said he thinks the Islamic Emirate is on the path to being recognized internationally.
“We should not forget that they are faced with tremendous challenges. Number 1, they are not recognised by any country, secondly, when they came to power, their coffers were empty, thirdly, they were not expecting a meltdown of Ashraf Ghani government.”
“On the balance, if you look at it during the past 3 years, I think the security situation in Afghanistan has improved, there is less corruption, which is internationally acknowledged,” he added.
But Durrani questioned the Islamic Emirate’s actions in some aspects.
“The Afghan Taliban (Islamic Emirate) have also implemented certain rules and regulations which in fact may suit the Afghan conditions but certainly do not fit into the Islamic tenets which they claim they have implemented,” he said.
He welcomed the improved security situation in Afghanistan but said peace has become a problem for Pakistan as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have increased attacks on Pakistan by 70 percent in the past three years.
The Islamic Emirate has long been accused by Pakistan of allowing TTP to plot and plan attacks from Afghanistan.
On this, Durrani said diplomacy was working and he was confident the issue would be resolved.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan said that the entire country is under the control of the forces of the Islamic Emirate and is safe.
The Deputy Spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, Hamdullah Fitrat, said Afghanistan is not a threat to any country and the Islamic Emirate has made it clear that it does not allow the territory of Afghanistan to be used against the security of any other country.
“Rejecting any concerns on this matter, we say once again that the entire geography of Afghanistan is under the control of the forces of the Islamic Emirate and is safe,” said Fitrat.
Roza Otunbayeva, Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), recently visited the city of Maimana in northern Afghanistan, where she met with local officials, entrepreneurs, and UN staff.
UNAMA wrote on its Facebook page on Sunday, that during the visit, entrepreneurs — including women — met with Otunbayeva, and requested support to facilitate access to new markets, particularly in Uzbekistan.
UNAMA further stated that among these entrepreneurs was a group of women who, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), had established a tailoring workshop.
They expressed their appreciation for the support received and spoke about the significant growth and development of their business.
UNAMA added that the organization remains committed to promoting economic opportunities and empowering Afghan communities, especially women.
Anand Prakash, head of the Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan Division of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, met with Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul for talks on various issues.
According to a press release issued Sunday by the Afghan Foreign Ministry, bilateral political relations, trade, transit and recent political developments in the region were discussed in the meeting.
Muttaqi stressed the need for the expansion of diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries and explained that Afghanistan currently offers favorable opportunities for investment. He said Indian investors should take advantage of these opportunities.
He also said that facilities should be created for the movement of people between Afghanistan and India and the issuance of visas for medical purposes, students and businessmen should return to normal.
Meanwhile, Prakash said that relations with Afghanistan are important for India and he hopes that these relations will expand further in various fields.
He stressed that India will continue its cooperation with Afghanistan and wants to invest in some infrastructure projects and restart projects that were paused for some time.
The two sides also emphasized the expansion of relations, the exchange of delegations, visa facilitation and bilateral cooperation.
Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has said in a phone call with his Uzbek counterpart that Afghanistan is fully prepared for the implementation of the Trans-Afghan railway project.
During the call, the two sides discussed strengthening bilateral and multilateral relations, as well as expanding political, economic and transit cooperation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul said in a statement on Sunday.
Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov noted that Afghanistan’s exports to Uzbekistan have tripled in the first four months of 2025 compared to last year. He vowed to create more facilities in the field of trade and transit between the two countries, especially in issuing visas to Afghan citizens.
Meanwhile, Amir Khan Muttaqi said that Afghanistan is fully prepared for the implementation of major economic projects such as the Trans-Afghan railway project and for the strengthening of political, trade and transit cooperation with Uzbekistan. He said that the existing opportunities should be utilized for the mutual benefit of the two countries.
The two sides also discussed the holding of a trilateral meeting between Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan at the level of foreign ministers and agreed to coordinate through diplomatic channels to determine the exact date and place of the meeting.
The three neighboring countries signed an agreement in February 2021 to construct a 573-kilometer railway line through Afghanistan, connecting landlocked Central Asia to Pakistan seaports, with an estimated cost of $4.8 billion to enhance regional economic connectivity.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephone conversation with Uzbek foreign minister last Thursday to discuss the Trans-Afghan railway project.
Dar expressed hope that the three countries would soon sign a framework agreement on this important regional project.
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