Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, during a meeting with the United Nations (UN) press representatives, said, “I don’t think anybody is in a rush to recognise the Taliban at this stage and they [Taliban] should keep an eye on that.”
The minister who is in New York for five days to attend the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), stated that the world is watching Afghanistan. If they [Taliban] want recognition they have to be more sensitive and more open to international opinion, he added.
He insisted on stating that Afghanistan should have an inclusive government in order to have stability and peace in the region, and expressed hope that the Afghan Taliban would live up to their promise to allow girls and women in educational institutions.
Moreover, he urged the United States and other countries that have frozen money from the former Afghan government to release it because “that’s Afghan money that should be spent on Afghan people”.
“I think freezing the assets is not helping the situation. I would strongly urge the powers that be that they should revisit that policy and think of an unfreeze,” Shah told reporters.
According to an official statement issued by the Foreign Office, Prime Minister Imran Khan will address the UNGA via a video link on September 24th.