ISLAMABAD, 28 September 2021, (TON): Prime Minister Imran Khan has urged the global community to provide consistent humanitarian and developmental assistance to the Afghan Taliban as it would provide additional leverage to continue persuading them to honour their commitments.

In an opinion piece for Washington Post, the prime minister wrote that the international aid will give Taliban a "greater reason" to stick to their promises.

Imran added "today, with Afghanistan at another crossroads, we must look to the future to prevent another violent conflict in that country rather than perpetuating the blame game of the past.”

According to the premier, engaging with the Taliban was the "right thing" to ensure peace in Afghanistan.

The international community will want to see the inclusion of major ethnic groups in government, respect for the rights of all Afghans and commitments that Afghan soil shall never again be used for terrorism. Taliban leaders will have greater reason and ability to stick to their promises if they are assured of the consistent humanitarian and developmental assistance.

The PM opined that abandoning Afghanistan "as in the 1990s, will inevitably lead to a meltdown. Chaos, mass migration and a revived threat of international terror[ism] will be natural corollaries. Avoiding this must surely be our global imperative."