Ameer Khurram Rathore, Pakistan’s High Commissioner-designate to Canada, has urged the international community to remain engaged with Afghanistan to preserve the massive infrastructure and human capital investments made in Afghanistan over the last two decades.
“We should not abandon the Afghan people as it would be like committing the same mistake the international community made 25 years ago,” he said in back-to-back interviews with the mainstream Canadian media.
In the first interview with Canada’s City News Network, High Commissioner-designate Ameer Khurram Rathore shared details of the evacuation efforts being undertaken by Pakistan for the foreign nationals in Afghanistan. He said Pakistan had already helped 10,000 people get out of Afghanistan. Those carrying Pakistan visas were being allowed through land routes while those flying from Afghanistan are being given visas on arrival in Pakistan.
He said Pakistan was in favour of an inclusive government representative of all major ethnic groups in Afghanistan. He said a peaceful and stable Pakistan was always in Pakistan’s interest.
In another interview with Canada’s CBC News Network’s flagship talk-show Power & Politics, Ameer Khurram Rathore urged the international community to engage with the Taliban, and dismissed the allegations that Pakistan had played a role in the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan.
During the interview broadcast across all spectrums of CBC network, including TV, radio and digital, Ameer Khurram Rathore said the Taliban had always been in possession of 40 to 45 per cent of Afghanistan’s territory during the last 20 years of conflict, obviating the need for any supposed sanctuary outside their country.
Pakistan, on its part, had strengthened border management and cross-border movements by fencing the border and establishing checkpoints to stop free movements of designated terrorist groups and movement between the two countries, he said.
The High Commissioner-designate also highlighted Pakistan’s efforts for evacuations in Afghanistan and its cooperation with foreign governments, including Canada, in helping their nationals get out of Afghanistan through the Pakistan route.
Ottawa,
September 02, 2021
Last modified: September 3, 2021
