(by Patrizio Nissirio)
Pakistan does not intend to become a colossal refugee camp for Afghans fleeing the Taliban, as it already hosts millions, and moreover a massive influx of refugees - which at the moment does not exist - would also represent a serious health risk, in times of a Covid pandemic:
Pakistani Ambassador to Italy, Jauhar Saleem
, said this during an online press conference.
The idea put forward by various European leaders, for which in exchange for aid the Afghan refugees could be welcomed in the neighboring countries of the region, Pakistan above all, is not liked by Islamabad: "In the last 30-40 years, Pakistan has welcomed the largest number of refugees in the world, there are now about 4 million - observes Saleem - and this without having the resources available to some European countries. We have always welcomed them on the condition that, when the situation would have allowed it, they would return home: but this has not happened. Pakistan does not currently have this welcoming capacity. And you will remember when the Syrians arrived in Europe. Despite the great resources of Germany and other countries, that wave caused political crises, and Europe was not able to accommodate all those refugees. Plus now there isit's the pandemic, and we want Covid to stay under control. So far we have done well, we are a country of 225 million inhabitants, and we want to remain cautious ".
For the diplomat, in any case, "at the moment we do not observe any wave of refugees at the border, the evacuations take place through the Kabul airport. And in this phase we are assisting everyone, including the Italian embassy, to favor the diplomats, NGO members and other personnel leaving the country. We must see the situation for what it is at the moment, not go by hypothesis ".
With the same pragmatism, Saleem assesses the situation in Afghanistan after the takeover by the Taliban, stressing that we must "avoid misperceptions, of which Pakistan was also a victim, when it was said that what was happening was Pakistan's fault. while the problems were internal to Afghanistan ". "There has been no major violence in the streets - he observes - and the first declarations from Kabul are encouraging; on fundamental human rights, on education, on women's rights, on their participation in government. We are hopeful. Before judging, we must see the facts ".
The ambassador stresses that Pakistan has played a constructive role in fostering dialogue, with the aim of a "lasting peace. Pakistan thinks that all parties must be represented in a future government, all ethnic groups, so that we is a prospect of peace for the Afghans. But always in compliance with the principle of non-interference ".
Finally, a reference to today's telephone conversation with Matteo Salvini: "We had a productive discussion with Senator Salvini, and we had already been in contact before. He expressed the strong hope that the situation in the region and between Afghanistan and Pakistan will move towards peace and stability. We agreed that it is very important for the international community to remain engaged in Afghanistan. "