ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Dr. Moeed Yusuf said on Thursday the US decision to “abruptly withdraw” its forces from Afghanistan was not “ideal,” though he added that the new American administration had promised not to scapegoat Pakistan for its own face-saving in the war-battered country.
Last month, Yusuf held an important meeting with his American counterpart Jake Sullivan in Geneva in which the two officials “discussed a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues,” according to an official statement.
“We want to highlight Pakistan’s efforts to bring about peace in Afghanistan since we are concerned about the international media which was and remains against our country,” Yusuf said on a primetime show on DawnNews TV. “We are not going to allow anyone to blame Pakistan to save face in Afghanistan.”
“We are asking [the US] to bring the opponents [in Afghanistan] to the negotiating table and make a roadmap before leaving [the region],” he said.
Yusuf maintained that Pakistan’s entire focus was to make negotiations possible in Afghanistan and facilitate the warring factions in the country reach an amicable political settlement.
He also expressed concern about the Afghan economy which is likely to face challenges after the withdrawal of the foreign forces.
“As long as there is no economic sustainability, Afghan economy will not be able to stand on its own feet,” he said. “Who can give them the regional connectivity they desire other than Pakistan? We can even help Afghanistan with the foreign investment it requires in which the United States and China can play a major role. Pakistan is the lynchpin here.”
The Pakistani NSA reiterated that his country would not allow the US to use its air bases.
He also said Pakistan should be more proactive in its diplomatic approach and clearly communicate its priorities to the United States and the rest of the international community instead of waiting to hear from the world about what it wants.
Yusuf said it was up to the Afghans how they wanted to decide their political future, though he added that Pakistan was concerned about militant activities in Afghanistan.
Pakistani national security adviser says abrupt US withdrawal from Afghanistan ‘not ideal’
https://arab.news/4c9vt
Pakistani national security adviser says abrupt US withdrawal from Afghanistan ‘not ideal’
- Moeed Yusuf says US has assured it won’t blame Islamabad to save face in Afghanistan
- NSA reiterates Pakistan would not allow the US to use its air bases
Pakistan urges equal application of international law, flags Indus treaty at UN debate
- Pakistani envoy says silence over violations of international law are fueling conflicts from South Asia to Gaza
- He urges the UN secretary-general to use the Charter’s preventive tools more proactively to help avert conflicts
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s UN ambassador on Monday called for equal application of international law in resolving global conflicts, warning that India’s decision to hold the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance and the unresolved dispute over Kashmir continued to threaten stability in South Asia.
Speaking at an open debate of the UN Security Council on “Leadership for Peace,” Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said selective enforcement of international law and silence in the face of violations were fueling conflicts worldwide, undermining confidence in multilateral institutions.
His remarks come months after a brief but intense military escalation between India and Pakistan in May, following a gun attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir. India blamed the attack on Pakistan, a charge Islamabad denied while calling for a transparent international probe.
The attack triggered a military standoff between the two South Asian nuclear neighbors and prompted New Delhi to suspend the World Bank-brokered Indus Waters Treaty, a move Pakistan says has no basis in international law and has described as “an act of war.”
“India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty — a rare and enduring example of successful diplomacy — is yet another blatant breach of international obligations that undermines regional stability and endangers the lives and livelihoods of millions,” Ahmad told the council.
He said Jammu and Kashmir remained one of the oldest unresolved disputes on the Security Council’s agenda and required a just settlement in line with UN resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people, a position India has long rejected.
Ahmad broadened his remarks to global conflicts, citing Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and other crises, and said peace could not be sustained through “selective application of international law” or by sidelining the United Nations when violations occur.
The Pakistani envoy also referred to the Pact for the Future, a political declaration adopted by UN member states this year aimed at strengthening multilateral cooperation, accelerating progress toward the 2030 development goals and reforming global governance institutions.
While welcoming the pact, Ahmad warned that words alone would not deliver peace, pointing to widening development financing gaps, rising debt distress and climate shocks that he said were reversing development gains across much of the Global South.
He called for a stronger and more proactive role for the UN Secretary-General, including earlier use of preventive tools under the UN Charter, and urged the Security Council to demonstrate credibility through consistency, conflict prevention and greater respect for international court rulings.
“No nation can secure peace alone,” Ahmad said. “It is a collective endeavor, requiring leadership, cooperation and genuine multilateralism.”
