ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said that the United Nations' request to allow humanitarian aid to Afghanistan would be considered, and the process would likely begin on Sunday. He was speaking to the media at the Foreign Office on Saturday.
The foreign minister highlighted key official tours and developments that occurred during his recent overseas visits. Speaking on Afghanistan, Dar said that, following a UN request, Pakistan would resume humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.
“I received a request from the UN via the Foreign Office yesterday to reconsider the suspension of humanitarian aid [food, etc.] for Afghanistan,” Dar added.
“I believe we should take positive action for the common Afghan people,” he said.
The foreign minister said that he had consulted Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and would soon consult the prime minister. He said that he was hopeful that permission for humanitarian relief would be granted by tomorrow.
“We will hopefully grant permission for essential food relief on humanitarian grounds by tomorrow,” Dar stated.
'Dialogue, diplomacy' preferred
Discussing terrorism-related activities across the country, the foreign minister said that since the Afghan interim regime came into power in 2021, 2,000 people had been martyred while another 20,000 had been injured, stressing that the “situation is not sustainable.”
“I stressed that Pakistan has the power to take kinetic action, but that it is undesirable against a brother nation,” he said.
“If they don't resolve the TTP [Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan] issue, we have other options. Dialogue and diplomacy are the answers, but they must look inward and address their weaknesses,” he added.
“It takes two to tango,” he remarked.
Qatar, Türkiye as mediators
Dar recalled that Qatar and Türkiye hosted mediation between Pakistan and Afghanistan; however, power centers in Afghanistan prevented a unanimous decision.
“Qatar and Türkiye attempted mediation, but two power centers in Afghanistan prevented decisions from taking effect,” he added.
Dar stated that Pakistan was prepared to launch a cleanup operation in Afghanistan when Qatar, alongside Türkiye, offered to mediate between the two countries.
“They were likely aware of our planned kinetic operation, and their government was in contact with me on an hourly basis to facilitate mediation,” he said.
He added that the mediators had to withdraw in embarrassment after the Taliban refused to soften their position.
Border issues with Afghanistan
Regarding border issues, the foreign minister said that Pakistan had hosted over “4 million Afghan brothers for decades.”
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said that during his visit to Kabul, the Afghan interim foreign minister informed him that the Taliban had detained around a hundred TTP terrorists along with several of their facilitators.
Dar acknowledged the arrests but stressed that “this is not enough.”
He said Kabul had invited Pakistan to send a delegation to verify the detentions, yet Islamabad maintains that far more decisive and sustained action is needed against TTP elements operating from Afghan soil.
Recalling the Economic Cooperation Council's virtual meeting, Dar said that Afghanistan’s interim foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, “provoked me” by accusing Pakistan.
The foreign minister reiterated that stability in Afghanistan was imperative for peace and stability in the entire region.
Pakistan to ‘positively consider' contributing forces as Gaza peacekeepers
Responding to a question on the International Stabilization Force (ISF), Dar said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had given an “in principle indication” that Pakistan would also positively consider sending its forces.
“My counterproposal was that if it is not a UN Peacekeeping Force, it must be sanctioned by the UN Security Council. The subsequent US resolution’s wording was unacceptable to us.”
He added that there was “a thought” that the ISF might be mandated to disarm and de-weaponize Hamas.
To this, he stated: “We are not ready for that. Our job is peacekeeping, not peace enforcement; that is the role of Palestinian law enforcement agencies.”
