“Afghanistan’s stability influences the entire region,” Tarar said. “We want to partner with our allies to try to ensure that the situation in Afghanistan does not deteriorate and that the people in Afghanistan have a bright future,” he added.
Asked if the United States believed Pakistan supported the Taliban, he said, “We are looking very closely at the formation of the government in Afghanistan.” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has co-chaired a virtual meeting of 22 foreign ministers in Germany, with officials from NATO, the European Union and the United Nations, he added. “Pakistan and India are part of this delegation of 22 countries. One country can improve results in Afghanistan. We have to see in the coming days and weeks whether the Taliban will live up to their commitments.”
The United States “has aligned interests on many issues with Pakistan,” he added. “We want to work with Pakistan on these issues: Afghanistan, the fight against terrorism, Covid-19 and climate change.”
He said not only the United States but also the G7, the UN Security Council, the EU and NATO made it clear that if the Taliban seeks legitimacy and international recognition, they hope to see an inclusive government and that the ‘Afghanistan maintains its own freedoms and gains for the last 20 years.
Asked what influence the U.S. had on the Taliban, he said, “We will use the full range of tools at our disposal.”
Tarar reiterated that U.S. President Joe Biden upheld his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan and “does not regret it.” “The purpose was never to build a nation or install a Western-style democracy. The purpose was to do justice to 9/11, which we did.”
“India is one of our most critical partners in the world, whether we are talking about defeating Covid-19 or climate change,” Tarar said. “The Indian government supplies vaccines all over the world and without the assistance of India we could not guarantee that the vaccines will reach Asia and Africa. The commitment is robust and continuous,” he said.