JAKARTA - Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari urged the international community to differentiate Afghanistan's women's rights protection efforts against the country's economic and humanitarian situation when addressing the Taliban issue.
"No one believes that by leaving the Afghan people starving then we cannot achieve women's empowerment or other goals," Zardari told Anadolu in New York, citing Antara, Sunday.
With the Taliban returning to power in August 2021, followed by international financial aid disruptions, it has left Afghanistan facing an economic, humanitarian and human rights crisis.
Under the Taliban, many rights for women and girls have been removed, including educational rights.
The United States and Western countries suspended financial aid after the Taliban seized power. President Joe Biden's administration frozen 7 billion US dollars in foreign exchange reserves of Afghanistan's central bank as part of sanctions against the hardline group.
Many countries have put forward several conditions for Taliban recognition, including the protection of women's rights, the formation of an inclusive government, and guarantees that Afghanistan does not become a haven for terrorism.
"If their banking access will be closed, their funds will be closed not only will you punish the government in Afghanistan, you will also punish the Afghan people," Zardari said.
As many as six million people in Afghanistan face a food crisis at an emergency level amid a shortage of humanitarian aid due to a lack of funds, the United Nations said.
Pakistan has repeatedly demanded involvement with the Taliban and disbursement of Afghan assets.
The world needs to learn from the last time the war ended and when the world broke free, didn't want to engage with Afghanistan, and forget Afghanistan. It puts us in a very difficult situation," Zardari said.
"All world powers must be re-engaged. So, participation is important," he added.
However, Zardari also urged the Taliban to fulfill the promises they made to the international community and their people.
"We can't expect a new government in Afghanistan to do so in one year compared to the old Afghan government that won't be able to do it in 20 years," he said.
"To do so within a year is a bit difficult. Even here, in the United States, maybe when the new government came to power, they didn't make it all their promises in the first year," Zardari said.
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