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KABUL: Talking to the US Institute of Peace, the US special envoy for Afghanistan, Thomas West said that his country will not support any organized armed opposition against the Islamic Emirate and it will even “discourage other power from doing so as well”.
He downplayed the honesty of Pakistan in the Afghan peace process- begun by the US then-president Donald Trump in 2018 and ended up in 2021 mid-August with a military victory for the Islamic Emirate that put an end to the 20-year of US military presence in Afghanistan.
“I think had Pakistan taken some of those steps in a more meaningful and consistent way, I think we would be in a different place today,” he said.
West said that he believes “there is a recognition in Pakistan that the current leadership of the interim authorities in Afghanistan is not truly representative and potentially not sustainable.”
He suggested said the decision made by US President Joe Biden over the fate of $7 billion Afghan assets was meant to protect the assets for Afghanistan: “Fundamentally the action was about protecting $3.5 billion for the benefit of the Afghan people,” West said.
The US envoy expressed optimism over the reopening of schools and universities for the girls.
“I believe the Taliban will make decisions to enroll women and girls at all levels, not as a response to international pressure at all, I think this is a genuine domestic Afghan demand … that we hear from across the country,” he said.
To recognize the current Afghan government, the international community demanded an inclusive government that respects all forms of human and women’s rights.
However, the Islamic Emirate has repeatedly denied it, saying that the current government represents various aspects of Afghan society.
