FM Qureshi says international community in no rush to recognize Taliban

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Friday the international community was willing to engage with Afghanistan, though it was taking a prudent approach toward the Taliban and was not in a rush to recognize them.
The foreign minister issued the statement during a joint press conference with his Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Albares who expressed concern over the emerging human rights situation in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover.
Albares, who arrived in Pakistan earlier in the day, shared a video on Twitter wherein he said that he wanted to ask for Pakistan's help in securing the evacuation from Afghanistan of people who worked with his country's forces.
The Spanish foreign minister's one-day visit followed a number of recent trips by European leaders to Pakistan, as expecting and trying to prevent a refugee influx into its member states the EU has been pledging to boost support to countries around Afghanistan.
Asked about the world's reluctance to accept the Taliban's interim administration, Qureshi said the international community wanted the Afghan faction to live up to its promises after presenting a more moderate face this time.
"I see an interest, a desire to engage but not a rush to recognize," he said.
Speaking about the rights situation in Afghanistan, Albares said there were concerns about women's rights and freedom of movement in the war-torn country.
"I can assure you that women rights and human rights are always important for us in any region in the world," he said.
According to an official statement issued after the meeting between the two officials, the Pakistani foreign minister expressed his optimism that the "new dispensation in Afghanistan will undertake concerted efforts for peace and security and work towards taking care of humanitarian and development needs of the Afghan people."
"Foreign Minister Qureshi underscored that the international community must remain engaged and that the people of Afghanistan should not be abandoned," the statement continued. "There was a need to urgently provide assistance to ward off a humanitarian crisis and to take steps to ensure economic stability. In this regard, releasing Afghanistan’s financial assets was also a necessary measure."
It added that the Spanish foreign minister also invited Qureshi to undertake a visit to Spain.

FM Qureshi says international community in no rush to recognize Taliban