Trying our best to facilitate Taliban govt: Sadiq

PESHAWAR (Pajhwok): A senior Pakistani diplomat says his country is doing all it can to facilitate the interim Taliban government and Afghan citizens.

Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s special envoy to Afghanistan, Sadiq said his country had evacuated around 92,000 people from Afghanistan after August 15.

He was addressing members of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Core Committee, which held its 9th meeting in Islamabad on Saturday.

The meeting was organised by the Centre for Research and Security Studies as part of its track 1.5/2 initiative Beyond Boundaries.

The ambassador claimed Pakistan had issued more visas to the Afghans as compared to the rest of the world during this time..

He informed the participants the Pakistan government had launched free Covid-19 vaccination for incoming Afghan nationals.

Sadiq estimated about 3,000 vaccine doses were being administered daily at Torkham and some 8,000 at Chaman.

Pakistan had been urging the international community to assist the Afghans, he said, arguing that sanctions would trigger an economic disaster.

Pakistan was ready to train Afghan doctors and paramedics on coping with the current health challenges, the diplomat added.

Members of the committee offered a string of recommendations to Sadiq and to Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Establishment Arbab Shahzad.

To help the Afghans, they suggested, the world should find a transitional assistance mechanism to circumvent the issue of recognising the Taliban government.

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