Pakistan will be under too much pressure if it recognizes the Taliban first: Imran Khan

Prime Minister Imran Khan says that Islamic countries' pressure on Islamabad would be "too much" if Pakistan recognizes the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan, Geo News reported.

We would not want to be isolated by becoming the only state to acknowledge the Taliban regime, Prime Minister Imran Khan told reporters, adding that Pakistan wanted to acknowledge the Taliban government through a "collective process".

Afghanistan's people are proud, he said. Their actions cannot be forced upon them.

Afghan women should not be expected to respect women's rights as Westerners know them," he stated. "You can't force them. There are limits to what foreign pressure can achieve with a government like the Taliban.

Although this was agreed to by the Taliban, the premier said that more time was required.

The Pak premier expressed concern over the worsening of the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, the possible reflux of refugees, and the US administration's decision to free only half of the Afghan funds on the United States soil.

He mentioned that before the fall of the former regime, three organisations were operating from Afghanistan -- the Pakistani Taliban, the Baloch terrorists, and a group of Daesh.

"We believe that the more stable the Afghan government is, the less these groups can operate. That is why we are so concerned about the stability of Afghanistan," he said, as per the report.