Imran Khan says world should give Taliban 'time' on human rights
"The Taliban hold all of Afghanistan and if they can sort of now work towards an inclusive government, get all the factions together, Afghanistan could have peace after 40 years," he said
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said the best way forward for peace and stability in Afghanistan is to engage with the Taliban and "incentivise" them on issues such as women's rights and inclusive government.
In an interview with CNN, Khan spoke about enduring what he perceived as a "terrible" relationship with the United States that has been disastrous for Pakistan and how he is now seeking a more pragmatic approach in dealing with Afghanistan's new leaders.
Wednesday's interview was the Pakistani PM's first interview with an international news organisation since the Taliban took control of neighboring Afghanistan last month, following the complete US withdrawal of troops.
"The Taliban hold all of Afghanistan and if they can sort of now work towards an inclusive government, get all the factions together, Afghanistan could have peace after 40 years," he said.
"But if it goes wrong and which is what we are really worried about, it could go to chaos. The biggest humanitarian crisis, a huge refugee problem," Khan added.
Imran Khan claimed that the Taliban are looking for international aid to avoid a crisis, which could be used to push the group in "the right direction towards legitimacy."
However he warned that Afghanistan could not be controlled by outside forces.
"No puppet government in Afghanistan is supported by the people," he said.
"So rather than sitting here and thinking that we can control them, we should incentivise them. Because Afghanistan, this current government, clearly feels that without international aid and help, they will not be able to stop this crisis. So we should push them in the right direction."