PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Tuesday voiced full support for recognising the Taliban government in Afghanistan along with lawmakers from the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party and Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA).

The house began a debate on the Afghan issue following an adjournment motion submitted by PPP member Ahmad Kundi seeking discussion on the situation across the border.

Winding up discussion on the motion, housing minister Dr Amjad Ali Khan urged the federal government to recognise and support the Taliban government claiming that the Afghan people have welcomed the Taliban rule instead of opposing it.

“We (Pakistan) should recognise the Taliban government and give them full support,” he said, adding that the Afghan Taliban had replicated the model of the Conquest of Makkah (Fateh Makkah) by pardoning all opponents.

The minister said the Afghan Taliban not only pardoned opponents but also asked all government employees to resume duty.

Opposition MPAs also voice support; minister urges international community to restore assistance to avoid exodus of refugees

He said the last Afghan government led by President Dr Ashraf Ghani was not elected and instead, he (Ghani) was imposed on the Afghan nation and fled the country under the veil of night.

Dr Amjad urged the international community to restore humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan to protect its people from starvation and said the suspension of assistance might trigger an exodus of Afghans.

He came down heavily on nationalists for ‘advocating Lar-o-Bar Yaw Afghan (Pakhtuns of low- and highlands are one Afghan)’.

“Yes, we are Pakhtuns, but we are Pakistanis, while Afghans have their own country,” he said, adding that those, who did not believe in the ideology of Pakistan, should shift to Afghanistan.

Earlier, Malik Badshah Salih of the PPP demanded the recognition of the Taliban government in Afghanistan and urged the new rulers of Kabul to completely enforce Shariah in the country.

“The whole world will follow you (Afghan Taliban) if Shariah is implemented in letter and spirit,” he said.

The lawmaker said the Indian spy agency, Raw, had been dismantled in Afghanistan after the formation of the Taliban government.

MMA MPA Inayatullah Khan also endorsed the PPP member’s suggestion regarding the recognition of the new government in Kabul and asked the western countries to defreeze assets of Afghanistan.

He said Pakistan would suffer in case of polarisation of Afghanistan.

“The end of war will create endless opportunities for Pakistan,” he said.

He demanded of the federal government to reopen all 27 designated corridors with Afghanistan to facilitate movement of divided families on both sides of the border. He said that Afghanistan was in independent country and no country had the right to dictate Afghans and suggest system of governance for them.

Independent MPA Mir Kalam and ANP MPA Nisar Khan Mohmand said an elected government in Kabul was removed.

They said sarcastically that some people loved Sharia laws in Afghanistan, but favour democracy in Pakistan. Nisar Mohmand said that the government should help Pakistani students stranded in Afghanistan.

Mover of the adjournment motion Ahmad Kundi criticized few federal ministers for giving irresponsible statements on the current situation in Afghanistan. He said that Pakistan particularly KP would suffer due to their statements.

He said Pakistan should give up policy of strategic depth and adopt geo-economic depth policy.

“The Afghan nation has the right to choose the system of governance for itself. No country has the right to recommend any system for it.

“No country has the right to recommend inclusive government in Afghanistan. We never suggested the system of governance for Iran, Saudi Arabia and China, then why Afghanistan,” he said.

Earlier, lawmakers of the merged tribal districts ended protest in the assembly after rapprochement by the government.

Before the start of the sitting, Mohammad Idrees from the panel of chairmen proceeded to the opposition leader’s chamber and held a meeting with the protesting MPAs. Tensions prevailed in the house despite reconciliation.

Lawmakers of the tribal districts had started protest over the recruitment of nurses in the tribal region

Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has already ordered an inquiry into the appointment of nurses to tribal district over complaints that most appointees belong to the settled districts.

MPA Bilawal Afridi, who led the protest on Monday, demanded of the chair to constitute a special committee of the house to check the release and utilisation of development funds for the tribal districts.

He expressed reservations about the formation of a three members committee headed by the law secretary to investigate the recruitment of nurses and complained that the federal and provincial governments were ignoring the tribal districts.

The assembly passed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sentencing Bill, 2021.

The chair later adjourned the sitting until Friday morning.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2021