From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, August 17, 2021
Pakistan says it will consult on whether to recognize Taliban government
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s information minister says that his country will make a decision about the recognition of a Taliban government in Afghanistan only after consultations with regional and international powers.
Fawad Chaudhry says at a news conference that Pakistan does not want to take any “unilateral decision” about this matter. He says Pakistan was pleased that so far there hasn’t been much violence and bloodshed in Afghanistan during the Taliban takeover.
Pakistan was among three nations which recognized the Taliban government when it came into power in the 1990s.
The Taliban were ousted by the US-led invasion following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. They had at the time sheltered al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, the leader of the network.
