Engage with Taliban, incentivise them on women's rights, inclusive govt: Pak PM Imran Khan

Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan said on Wednesday that the world should "engage with the Taliban" in order to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan, and that they should be "incentivised" on issues like inclusive government and women's rights.

On Wednesday, Imran Khan was interviewed by the CNN at his Bani Gala residence in Islamabad, where he discussed the situation in Afghanistan, Pakistan's role in regional peacekeeping, and the country's relationship with the United States.

"The Taliban hold all of Afghanistan and if they can sort of now work towards an inclusive government, get all the factions together, Afghanistan could have peace after 40 years. But if it goes wrong and which is what we are really worried about, it could go to chaos. The biggest humanitarian crisis, a huge refugee problem," Khan said.

When questioned whether he supports the Taliban's treatment of women, especially excluding them from sports, the Pakistan PM said: "I feel very strongly that it is a mistake to think that someone from the outside will give Afghan women their rights [because] Afghan women are strong. Give them time, and they will get their rights."

"Women should have the ability in society to fulfil their potential in life [but] you cannot impose women's rights in Afghanistan from abroad," he said.

Since taking power, the Taliban has tried to paint a new picture by promising to protect human rights, especially those of women and girls, and to allow journalists to continue their work.

Women, however, have been excluded from the Taliban's interim government.

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According to Khan, the Taliban are seeking international assistance in order to avoid a crisis, which could be used to push the group in the "right direction toward legitimacy." He did warn, however, that outside forces would not be able to control Afghanistan.

"No puppet government in Afghanistan is supported by the people," he said. "So rather than sitting here and thinking that we can control them, we should incentivize them. Because Afghanistan, this current government, clearly feels that without international aid and help, they will not be able to stop this crisis. So we should push them in the right direction."

Following the withdrawal, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US would reassess its ties with Pakistan. During a hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, he stated that Pakistan has a "multiplicity of interests some that are in conflict with ours."

Khan called such comments "ignorant," telling CNN that "I have never heard such ignorance."

According to Khan, thousands of Pakistanis lost their lives in terrorist attacks by "militant groups" owing to his country's support for the US. Just because we sided with the US, we became an ally of the US after 9/11 and the war in Afghanistan. The suffering this country went through with at one point there were 50 militant groups attacking our government... on top of it, they must also know there were 480 drone attacks by the US in Pakistan," he added.

"Only time a country has been attacked by its ally," he said of the US strikes.

He also called out the US for repeatedly accusing Pakistan of harbouring terrorists and said: "What are these safe havens? The area of Pakistan along the border of Afghanistan had the heaviest surveillance by the United States drones ... surely they would have known if there were any safe havens?"