The U.S. President called out Pakistan and other countries to ensure peace in Afghanistan
U.S. President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. will pull troops out of Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 2021, and said that he will hold the Taliban accountable for ensuring that terrorists do not use the country’s soil against hos country.
“We will hold the Taliban accountable for its commitment not to allow any terrorists to threaten the US or its allies from Afghan soil. The Afghan government has made that commitment to us as well,” Biden said.
Biden called out other countries in the region including Pakistan and said they needed to support Afghanistan. He did not mention Iran, the next-door neighbors to both Pakistan and Afghanistan during his speech. “We will ask other countries in the region to support Afghanistan, especially Pakistan, as well as Russia, China, India, and Turkey.”
Gen. Bajwa, Blinken conversation
Earlier, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken had a telephonic conversation. The two sides discussed matters of bilateral interest, regional security situation including the latest developments in Afghan Peace Process and bilateral cooperation in various fields were discussed.
COAS said that Pakistan will always support “Afghan led-Afghan Owned” Peace Process based on mutual consensus of all stakeholders. Blinken also appreciated Pakistan’s continuous efforts for peace and stability in the region and pledged to further enhance bilateral relations between both countries.
Stability is the need of the hour
Stability in Afghanistan is imperative for peace in the region. All countries in the region will need to play their part in order to ensure that the factions in the country do not go back to warring ways after the international troops leave. It is critical that the current Afghan government and Taliban reach a peace deal and act upon it. The latter must be involved in the future political setup of Afghanistan for lasting peace.