ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): Videos and social media posts circulating about a speech delivered by the Afghan Taliban regime ambassador at the National Defence University (NDU) in Islamabad have prompted claims that Pakistan may be changing its policy towards Afghanistan.
However, security sources rejected the claims, saying that the lecture by an Afghan Taliban regime representative in NDU does not signal a change in Pakistan’s Afghanistan policy.
The appearance of a guest speaker at the institution should not be interpreted as a shift in Pakistan’s official policy, sources said.
The clarification added that the National Defence University is an educational institution that regularly invites individuals from different countries and backgrounds to serve as guest speakers, present their perspectives, and engage with participants on various issues.
Representatives of different countries, including India, have also addressed forums at the NDU on previous occasions.
Such appearances are part of the university’s academic and educational engagement and do not necessarily reflect an endorsement of the views expressed by guest speakers.
As far as the change in Afghan policy is concerned, Pakistan’s position on the Afghan Taliban regime is unwavering: “The Afghan regime is an illegitimate, non-inclusive and unrepresentative junta that came to power by force of arms. The first desire of this regime is to make Afghanistan a hotbed of terrorism and export it to its neighboring countries.”
The most important thing is that the lectures at NDU are held under the Chatham House rule, which is an international principle under which participants in a meeting, discussion, or seminar are allowed to use what is said there outside, but they cannot tell who said it, where, or to whom.
“The Afghan ambassador, by coming out and making this statement and making illegal videos and releasing them on social media, has further proven that this is an ignorant group that does not care about international principles, humanity, and morality.”
This move by the Afghan ambassador proves that the Afghan Taliban is an unreliable and deceitful group, security sources added.
