Former US envoy to Afghanistan and Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, has criticized Pakistan for reportedly hosting a meeting of Afghan opposition groups later this month, calling the move “immature, irresponsible, and unfortunate.”
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), Khalilzad said the gathering, scheduled for 25 and 26 August in Pakistan, will include Afghan opposition figures, some of whom support the violent overthrow of the Taliban-led government in Kabul.
“Afghan citizens are entitled to their political views,” Khalilzad wrote. “But Pakistan’s seeming support of them by hosting their conference is hugely unwise and an intended provocation.”
The former US diplomat argued that Islamabad should consider how it would react if the Taliban hosted Pakistanis seeking to topple their “military-dominated government.”
“Afghanistan and Pakistan have an enormous deficit of trust and cooperation,” he added. “This step by Islamabad can only achieve the opposite. Immature, irresponsible, and unfortunate.”