Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday criticized US President Donald Trump's last minute decision to cancel peace talks with the Taliban in Afghanistan, saying there is not going to be a military solution to problems in that country. RNA - Khan stated that Trump should have consulted with Pakistan before he called off the talks in a unilateral decision that came at a time when “peace deal was about to be signed”, Anadolu news agency reported.
He noted that he will meet Trump at the UN General Assembly meetings this week and “will try telling him that, look, there is not going to be military solution”.
“For 19 years, if you haven't been able to succeed, you are not going to be able to succeed another 19 years”, he added.
His assessment of the Taliban is that it is not the same organization it was in 2001, although it gained some momentum after 2010. When it sees the “US leaving Afghanistan, their morale is up”, he said.
''Things have changed, realities have changed. Lessons learned. The Taliban realizes now that it cannot control the whole of Afghanistan. The Afghan government knows there has to be some sort of a peace deal,'' Khan added.
''There has to be a political settlement. It is very tough but it is the only way,'' he stressed.
''People of Afghanistan has suffered for 40 years. It is inhuman what they are going through,'' Khan emphasized, noting that he is now and always will be “a pacifist”.
847/940