Pakistani PM, foreign minister to decide on recognizing Taliban government — minister

In this photo, Pakistan's Federal Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed addressing a press conference in Islamabad on August 18, 2021. (Photo courtesy: PID)

• Information minister had earlier said Islamabad would consult regional and international powers before making a decision 
• Foreign Minister to soon visit Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan and Iran to consult on resolution of Afghan crisis 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Wednesday Prime Minister Imran Khan and the foreign ministry would decide on whether Islamabad would recognize a new Taliban government in Afghanistan, after a government collapse last week and the takeover of the capital by the insurgent group.
Rashid’s statement is a departure from earlier comments by Information Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain in which he said Islamabad would consult regional and international powers before making a decision on recognizing Taliban rule.
“Whether or not to accept the Taliban government or not, that is a decision of Imran Khan and the foreign ministry,” Ahmed said at a press conference. 
The information minister had said earlier in the week a decision on recognizing the Taliban would come after “consultation of regional and international powers.”
“We don’t want to take a unilateral decision on that, we are in touch with our regional and international friends and we will decide accordingly,” Hussain said.
In separate comments, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the world was contacting Pakistan to help reach a settlement in Afghanistan and he would soon be visiting Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan and Iran in this regard.
“I will discuss the prevailing situation in Afghanistan with its neighboring countries and consult them for a peaceful and permanent solution to the Afghan issue, besides taking them into confidence,” Qureshi said. “We want a set-up [in Afghanistan] that should be acceptable to the world.”