Afghan Taliban listening to Pakistan's concerns, says PM Kakar

**Caretaker Prime Minister Awaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Saturday denied the impression that the interim Taliban government in Afghanistan was not listening to Pakistan’s concerns.

“I don’t think that there is a perception that the Taliban was not listening to Pakistan, neither there is any such thing Pakistan has some special demand related to the Taliban,” he said in an interview with the Voice of America Urdu (VOA Urdu).

Kakar said Pakistan faces challenges at the western border related to terrorism.

“When Doha negotiations were underway, even then, regional countries – including Pakistan, China, Central Asia, and Russia – and International Security Assistance Force and North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces, which were leaving the region, had detailed talks on one point that Afghan soil is not used against any country related to terrorism,” Kakar said.

He continued by saying that the Afghan Taliban had demonstrated commitments during the Doha negotiations and that they had been persuaded to engage in steady conversations with regional neighbors. “Now, there are various reasons why it isn’t happening and there may be numerous reasons.”

He stated that Pakistan was focused on many issues and that it was acting appropriately, adding that the country was involved in the appropriate forum for a desired role from the other side.

According to the acting prime minister, Pakistan has the right to self-defense. “We will make the choices we believe are necessary to safeguard our people and our environment.”

He avoided getting into the specifics of what sort of operations Pakistan might undertake in response to the terrorist threats.

“We will make judgments in response to those threats as necessary. It will hopefully demonstrate what we wish to do or what we are capable of.”

He disproved the notion that the US had secretly left weaponry in Afghanistan.

The premier said he does not foresee any prospect of delaying the general elections due to the security situation at Pakistan’s borders.

“I don’t see such a possibility right now,” he remarked.

“We are certain that we will keep control of the situation and finish the electoral process concurrently,” he stated.