ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Tuesday continued economic engagement in Afghanistan by the United States was of ‘crucial importance’ for the war-torn country.
The Pakistani foreign policy chief’s statement came after he spoke on the telephone with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, just two days after the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan.
“U.S. economic engagement with Afghanistan was of crucial importance,” Qureshi said in a Twitter post, adding that Pakistan would remain closely engaged with the US and its allies to support a peaceful and stable Afghanistan.
The foreign minister also informed Blinken of Pakistan's efforts to evacuate personnel and staff of diplomatic missions, international organizations, media and others.
Shared that continued U.S. economic engagement with Afghanistan was of crucial importance.
Discussed Pakistan’s work to facilitate evacuation of personnel and staff of diplomatic missions, international organizations, media et al https://t.co/1ZoceRWQBq— Shah Mahmood Qureshi (@SMQureshiPTI) August 16, 2021
The Taliban captured Kabul on Sunday without a fight, after taking over the country city by city in the last two weeks, with Afghan government forces offering little resistance.
On Monday, President Joe Biden said he stood "squarely behind" his decision to pull out US troops from Afghanistan despite the chaotic scenes in Kabul, where thousands of people thronged to the airport on Sunday and Monday, desperate to flee the country. At least five people were killed in the ensuing chaos.
The US president blamed the Taliban takeover on Afghan political leaders who had fled the country and the unwillingness of the US-trained Afghan army to fight the insurgent group, Reuters reported.
He warned Taliban leaders they would face "devastating force" should they interfere with the US pullout.
