Pakistan in dilemma over assistance to Taliban govt in Afghanistan without international recognition: Report

Pakistan appears to be facing difficulties in providing assistance to the Taliban-led government as the Afghan new regime is yet to be recognised by the international community.

At a meeting presided by the Pakistan minister of Economic Affairs Omar Ayub Khan on Tuesday, key stakeholders considered various options to support the new Afghan government through capacity building and technical expertise under crash programmes.

However, according to a report in Dawn, a major challenge was how to do that without recognition by the world of the Afghan government.

Informed sources said the meeting was told that the biggest challenge for the Afghan administration was the void created by a major exodus of technical and financial experts soon after the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan.

The meeting noted that the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) management could arrange and provide crash training courses to Afghanistan by inviting their staff to Pakistan.

The meeting noted that there should also be a 'proper need assessment' of Afghanistan and support could be extended by Pakistan.

Early this month, the Taliban announced a new interim government consisting of ministers who are proscribed terrorists.

Moreover, women have been omitted from the Taliban's hard-line interim government, have been ordered to stay at home in some areas, and their education restricted.

Taliban are clamouring for international recognition of their reinstated Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

However, the international community seems far from ready to recognise the government given the past human rights records of the Taliban government.

Many in the international community are not hopeful the Taliban will make any progress on upholding women's and minorities rights.

(ANI)