UN / AFGHANISTAN PAKISTAN

STORY: UN / AFGHANISTAN PAKISTAN
TRT: 03:19
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 16 AUGUST 2021, NEW YORK CITY

SHOTLIST:

FILE – NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior UN Headquarters

16 AUGUST 2021, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, Munir Akram walks up to the podium
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Munir Akram, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Pakistan:
“The ideal time to end the conflict through negotiations might have been when the US and NATO troops were at their maximum military strength in Afghanistan. Continuation of foreign military presence for a longer duration now, would not have yielded any positive outcome. Therefore, endorsement by the Biden Administration of the previous US administration’s decision of troop withdrawal was indeed a logical conclusion to this conflict.”
4. Wide shot, Akram at the podium
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Munir Akram, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Pakistan:
“Pakistan is making active efforts to promote an inclusive political settlement in Afghanistan. We, at her invitation, the leadership of a number of political parties and groups in Afghanistan, representing all the multi-ethnic groups apart from the Pashtuns, are present in Islamabad and have met with our Foreign Minister and with our leadership today. They have promised to engage continuously with the Taliban and to try to evolve an inclusive Afghan government. Pakistan will work with them and with the Taliban representatives to advance this objective.”
6. Wide shot, Akram at the podium
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Munir Akram, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Pakistan:
“Pakistan has called upon all Afghan parties, including the Taliban, to ensure the preservation of law and order in Kabul and elsewhere. Our immediate priority should be aimed at the maintenance of law and order and safety and security of all Afghan civilians, especially women and children. Fundamental human rights must be upheld, all civilian property and infrastructure must be protected. There must be complete respect for human rights and international humanitarian law. And we support the statement of the Secretary-General in this regard.”
8. Wide shot, Akram at the podium
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Munir Akram, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Pakistan:
“The Taliban statements have said that they will, that they accept girl’s education, women’s working, under an Islamic system, and as you know, in Islam women have equal rights, and we hope that those rights will be respected in any new formation in Afghanistan.”
10. Wide shot, Akram walks away

STORYLINE:

Pakistan’s Ambassador Munir Akram today (16 Aug) said the “ideal” time to end the Afghan conflict through negotiations “might have been when the US and NATO troops were at their maximum military strength.” He added that “a continuation of foreign military presence for a longer duration now, would not have yielded any positive outcome.”

Akram, speaking to reporters outside the Security Council, said, “endorsement by the Biden Administration of the previous US administration’s decision of troop withdrawal was indeed a logical conclusion to this conflict.”

The Pakistani diplomat said his government “is making active efforts to promote an inclusive political settlement in Afghanistan” and “the leadership of a number of political parties and groups in Afghanistan, representing all the multi-ethnic groups apart from the Pashtuns, are present in Islamabad" and have met with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Pakistani leadership.

He said these groups “have promised to engage continuously with the Taliban and to try to evolve an inclusive Afghan government.”

Akram said, “our immediate priority should be aimed at the maintenance of law and order and safety and security of all Afghan civilians, especially women and children. Fundamental human rights must be upheld, all civilian property and infrastructure must be protected. There must be complete respect for human rights and international humanitarian law.”

He noted that “the Taliban statements have said that they will, that they accept girl’s education, women’s working, under an Islamic system, and as you know, in Islam women have equal rights, and we hope that those rights will be respected in any new formation in Afghanistan.”

The Ambassador told reporters that the Security Council, under the Indian presidency, did not invite Pakistan to participate in today’s Council meeting on Afghanistan.