ISLAMABAD, Dec 08 (APP):National Security Adviser (NSA) Dr Moeed Yusuf Wednesday said that unstable Afghanistan can give birth to refugee crisis which may provide more space to international terrorist organizations.
In an interview to BBC World News program Hard Talk by anchor Stephen Sackur, the NSA enunciated the Pakistan’s policy shift, stance on Afghanistan situation and economic goals under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.
Dr Moeed while replying to Stephen Sackur’s questions pertaining to prevailing Afghan regime and global response said, “If you don’t like 30 people make sure that 30 million die this is what are you saying. Just understand the connotation what are you saying.”
He clarified that he was not defending Taliban rather the world should have a conversation with them. “Our message to the Afghan Taliban is identical to what the world is saying more inclusivity, no terrorism from Afghan soil, human rights for all and this what we want,” he added.
He quoted the UNDP Head in Afghanistan saying “It is the worst economic crisis and humanitarian disaster we have ever witnessed” on the prevailing crisis in the war-torn country.
“There are 22.8 mln people facing acute food shortage, 70 percent apportioning food, one million children acutely malnourished. That’s the reality I have to face in Pakistan,” he told Stephen Sackur while emphasizing the seriousness of the issue.
“Pakistan is the country that helped more than any other country and evacuated 49,000 people of 75 countries and created a land and air bridge to Afghanistan asking the world to channel whatever they want from us free of cost,” Dr Moeed highlighted the country’s assistance to NATO forces while leaving Afghanistan.
He regretted that the donor agencies like UN and ICRC were crying as no money could be brought into Afghanistan due to embargoes on banking channels.
The NSA informed that Pakistan shared a lengthy 1,600 miles border with Afghanistan and its experience of four decades depicted that four 4 million refugees were still in Pakistan after 40 years. “Compare this to the EU, UK and US reactions towards refugees shown up to your shores,” he asked the anchorperson.
“The moment Afghanistan is unstable my country goes unstable as we have a centuries old porous border which will cause refugee, terrorism, drugs flow over into Pakistan,” he cautioned.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that it wanted any government in Afghanistan but with a stable state as any instability or collapse in Afghanistan, Pakistan will be hurt the very next day, he added.
“As NSA of Pakistan its my right to tell the world and as Prime Minister its his right to tell the world that the way the international community is approaching Afghanistan its heading for collapse and we are going to get hurt by it,” he noted.
He further added that Pakistan was not the one that brought war to Afghanistan rather was the principle victim of this war. “We didn’t have suicide bombings in our country before 9/11. Since 9/11 over 80,000 causalities of Pakistanis which the West just likes to wish away. Over a $150 billion lost in the economy, 3.5 million internally displaced persons, and faced millions of Afghan refugees. You think are we mad we would be abetting something which would bring such disaster to my country,” he said.
Dr Moeed said that Pakistan was the country that was recognized by the UK and the US and others for facilitating the Doha peace process whose end point should have been a genuinely inclusive government.
The NSA objected to the opening of the anchorperson’s program and said, “I object to your opening presenting as if Pakistan was behind all what happened. We didn’t aided or abetted anybody there was a policy employed by the US and others who were in Afghanistan.”
There was always a failing policy in Afghanistan and the only country that kept saying that you would not get any military solution in Afghanistan was Pakistan, he added.
“There is a government that many don’t like and its not recognized its on war against many countries but there are 35-40 million afghans who have nothing to do with this.
Lets agree that they need to be fed immediately and I am increasingly reaching the conclusion that the world probably do not care,” he regretted.
To a question, he said, “When I talk about Kashmir I am talking about my people not foreign nationals and also an illegally occupied territory (IIOJK) recognized as a dispute by the UN and this is my right to speak about my people and not speaking about any foreign country at that point in time”.
Commenting on the Pak-US ties and CPEC, the said, “Pakistan is offering economic bases to the entire world for increased investment in the region under the game changer CPEC project as per its major policy shift from geo strategic to geo-economic paradigm.”
Dr Moeed said Pakistan has made a major transition in its all approach and thinking from a geo strategic to geo-economic paradigm. “We look at ourselves as a melting pot for global economic interests. It’s one key pillar is connectivity and the other is development partnerships,” he added.
He added that Pakistan wanted the entire world to come and coexist in it in terms of economics. “We are no longer in the business of offering military bases but our economic bases are open for all,” he underscored.
The NSA while explaining about the CPEC project said that Pakistan has a very critical strategic relationship with China and its relationship was going from strength to strength. “But that is not at the cost of any other country that is what our geo-economic paradigm is all about,” he underlined.
He elaborated that there were no military basis in Gwadar rather economic basis, adding, “and we offered the same to the US, the middle east and Russia. Anybody who wants to come and invest in Pakistan we are open.”
He mentioned that the CPEC was energy and road infrastructure that anybody could benefit from and invest in Pakistan.
Replying another query, Dr Moeed categorically said, “On the Xinjiang issue, not only our ambassador in Beijing rather teams from here went there. We have a relationship of trust with China and we are completely open.”
He rejected the western media accusations saying, “We do not accept the Western description of Xinjiang that’s set and if the west has concerns you have every right, talk to China which is a sovereign country raise your concerns to them”.
