The human rights violations in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan is the brainchild of neighbouring Pakistan which played a key role in shaping both the radical ideas of the Taliban in religious seminaries and the fate of the terrorist group through steadfast support to its violent ways, European think-tank told the United Nations on Monday.
In her virtual intervention during the 49th Session of UN Human Rights Council, Yoana Barakova, a senior research analyst at European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS) said, "Amidst the debate and speculation over whether the new Taliban dispensation will be more moderate than the last destructive one that ruled Afghanistan, the role that Pakistan played in shaping both the radical ideas of the Taliban in religious seminaries and the fate of the terrorist group through steadfast support to its violent ways, is being swept under the carpet".
She added, "As the dark shadow of a brutal Taliban regime looms over Afghanistan along with the ensuing humanitarian crisis, the UN would do well to take a moment to imagine what Afghanistan could have looked like had Pakistan not kept the Taliban afloat, well oiled, and well-armed".
Simply put, without Pakistan, there would be no Taliban, Yoana said while adding "Pakistan did all that it did to support, sponsor and sustain terrorism only because it was allowed to do so".
"If terrorists holding guns are vile, those egging them on to kill and be killed can certainly be no better or no less damaging. The recognition that the bigger problem than the Taliban was its benefactor, Pakistan, ought to have come and been acted upon in the past two decades. It sadly never did", said Yoana.
The research analyst said, "It is about time that countries supporting terrorism, especially those that are members of this august Council, are made to face tangible, punitive consequences, and are designated as State Sponsors of Terrorism".
( With inputs from ANI )
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor