Press Release
In-House meeting
Dr Barnett R. Rubin,
Senior Fellow at Center on International Cooperation, Non-Resident Fellow at Quincy Institute and a leading expert on Afghanistan and South Asia
The Centre for Afghanistan, Middle East & Africa (CAMEA) at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) had an In-House meeting with Dr Barnett R. Rubin, Senior Fellow at Center on International Cooperation, Non-Resident Fellow at Quincy Institute and a leading expert on Afghanistan and South Asia.
The distinguished guests included: Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, Director General ISSI; Ambassador Khalid Mahmood , Chairman BOG ISSI;Ms Amina Khan, Director CAMEA, Ambassador Tariq Azizuddin; Ambassador Masood Khalid; Lt. Gen. Sabahat; Mr Hassan Khan; Ambassador Ayaz Wazir; Ambassador Aziz Ahmad Khan; Admiral Tahir; Mr Taimur Shamil; Mr Oves Anwar and Mr Hashim Pashtoon.
The topic on the agenda was the evolving situation in Afghanistan.
In his welcome remarks, Ambassador Chaudhry said that the most burning topic for the region is Afghanistan and there is a feeling that the new political reality in Afghanistan is not being accepted by the world. The humanitarian situation is dire and there is an economic collapse happening as well, he said.
Dr Barnett said that the sanctions against the Taliban go back to 1999 and are now part of US law. On Al-Qaeda he said that the Taliban have never been one to make a break with Al-Qaeda because of religious solidarity and provision of assistance. He went on to say that as a political matter the US cannot have good relations with the Taliban. He also said that right now, the Taliban need a functioning economy and relations with other countries. Although there are efforts being made by humanitarian organisations , a lot still needs to be done. The Taliban this time around have been engaging very actively in regional diplomacy. Their only objective is to be secure. Afghanistan is now a marginal issue for the US as evidenced by President Biden’s decision to withdraw the troops. The Taliban this time around, have a good regional strategy,and their only international objective is to get recognition, he said.
