Afghanistan must not become terrorist safe haven, say Pakistan and UK ministers

Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Liz Truss underline importance of humanitarian aid after Taliban takeover

A Taliban fighter prays next to a demonstration organised by the Afghan Society of Muslim Youth, demanding the release of frozen international money in Kabul, Afghanistan. AP Photo

A Taliban fighter and a group of Afghan men attend Friday prayers in Kabul. AP Photo

Taliban soldiers in Bagram Air Base in Parwan. Reuters

Taliban soldiers Seifatollah and Vasighollah stand in a prison in Bagram Air Base. Reuters

Taliban patrol Kabul. EPA

Vahdat, a Taliban soldier and former prisoner, stands next to exercise equipment in Bagram Air Base. Reuters

A Taliban fighter stands guard near Zanbaq Square in Kabul. AFP

Taliban fighters police a road in Herat. AFP

The foreign ministers of Pakistan and the UK have reiterated that Afghanistan must not become a safe haven for terrorists again.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Liz Truss stressed the importance of Afghans receiving humanitarian aid.

During a meeting in London, they also “discussed the need for action to cut carbon emissions and protect biodiversity,” a UK foreign office spokesman said.

Mr Qureshi urged the international community not to “repeat past mistakes” and to engage with Afghanistan’s new rulers.

After sweeping through much of Afghanistan last month and capturing the capital Kabul, the Taliban announced their interim government earlier this month.

Billions of dollars worth of humanitarian aid has been frozen by much of the international community since the takeover by the militant group, whom Nato member states spent nearly two decades fighting before withdrawing from Afghanistan last month.

The foreign office spokesman said the two foreign ministers “discussed the continuing situation in Afghanistan, and the need for the international community to work together to ensure a co-ordinated approach".

“They reaffirmed their commitment to preventing Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for terror and providing vital humanitarian assistance for ordinary Afghans”.

Mr Qureshi also held talks with senior back bench British MPs, where he shared Pakistan’s perspective on Afghanistan while highlight the need for the international community “to stay engaged, averting a humanitarian crisis and economic collapse”.