Pakistan: Government has no role in the Islamabad meeting.
“Shafqat Ali Khan,” the spokesperson for the Pakistani Foreign Ministry, announced in a press conference that the gathering of some Afghan figures in Islamabad has no official or governmental aspect and is merely an activity of a think tank.
He also said that some media outlets and social media users have exaggerated the event, while the Pakistani government is neither the official host of the meeting nor has it played a role in planning it.
Shafqat Ali Khan emphasized, “This meeting is an open and transparent activity and should not be considered the same as the position of the Pakistani government. Since it is not secret, there are no security concerns.”
These statements come at a time when Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghan peace, had claimed that the Pakistani Intelligence Agency (ISI) had a direct role in coordinating the trip and organizing the meeting.
According to a list published in the media, about 36 political figures, civil society activists, and Afghan women, including Nasir Ahmad Andisha, Mustafa Mastoor, Shinki Karukhel, Fawzia Kofi, Nargis Nehan and at least 17 other women, have been invited to the meeting.
The meeting is scheduled to be held in Islamabad on September 25 and 26 and will discuss issues related to human rights, the situation of women, and the political situation in Afghanistan.
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson also expressed concern about the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan, noting: “These sanctuaries are preventing the full development of bilateral relations, trade and regional connectivity. We hope that the Taliban will respond to Pakistan’s legitimate concerns so that the three countries can achieve their full potential in economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.”