FM Qureshi says coexistence with Taliban having "realistic" approach need of the day

"Can we block them? No, we can't. Can we regulate them? Yes, we should. Are there risks? Yes, there are organisations there that are not friendly to you or us or anyone so we have to guard against that as well."

“The bulk of Afghanistan's trade passes through Pakistan so could the latter close its border with the former? Would Pakistan be contributing to any ensuing humanitarian crisis as a result?” the foreign minister questioned.

He said anyone advocating "peace and stability" from among the Taliban was a "friend" and "we will work with that reality". Qureshi said Pakistan was awaiting developments in the next few days with "eyes and ears open".

The minister reiterated Pakistan's stance that it "had no favourites" in Afghanistan, saying Afghanistan comprised of different ethnic groups.

"That is why we have said as neighbours and wellwishers that it is in your (Afghanistan's) interest to adopt an inclusive approach," Qureshi said.

He noted that the Taliban had made a series of undertakings, "some of them are positive at the level of words" but there was a need to test whether they translated into deeds, which would not be possible if some channel of dialogue wasn't present.

Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom Dominic Raab said beyond the matter of recognizing the Taliban government in Afghanistan, his country would continue to extend humanitarian assistance to its people.

He said whether the UK recognized the Taliban government or not, it would like to have a “line of communication through aid agencies to help the people of Afghanistan”.

Foreign Secretary Raab, who also visited the Afghanistan-Pakistan border at Torkham to see on-ground situation, underlined the UK’s commitment to help those fleeing Afghanistan including by supporting neighbouring countries.

“The UK has announced a doubling of aid to Afghanistan to £286 million, and has released the first tranche of £30m of that to support Afghanistan’s regional neighbours, including Pakistan,” he said.

Raab mentioned that some of the Taliban were “positive at the level of words”, however stressed that “we need to test them first”.

He said the basis for the UK-Pakistan relationship was very strong and expressed the desire of his country to take it to the next level.

“We also have a very clear and shared interest in the future of Afghanistan, he said.

He said Britain would increase development funds for the neighbouring countries of Afghanistan to ensure helping out the Afghan people crossing over the borders.

To a question on keeping Pakistan in the ‘red list’ banning travel, he said he could totally understand the impact of the decision on the Pakistani and British-Pakistani nationals.

He commended the efforts of the government of Pakistan in addressing the coronavirus situation, however stressed that the UK’s decision was “in shared interest amid domestic and global challenges”.

Raab said his discussions with FM Qureshi focused on commonalities of interest and finding out the ways to further strengthen ties in diverse areas.

To a question on the human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, he said the UK would encourage both Indian and Pakistan to maintain a positive and constructive dialogue to resolve the issue.

Foreign Minister Qureshi said Pakistan and the UK enjoyed close collaboration in various areas of bilateral interest.

To a question if Pakistan’s relations with the Taliban would be conditional, he said as a neighbour, the country had no other choice but to coexist with Afghanistan.