Five ex envoys urge Nepal to take initiative to start dialog on Afghanistan

KATHMANDU, Aug 24: Five former ambassadors have drawn the attention of the government on recent situation in Afghanistan.

Issuing a joint statement on Tuesday, the ex-envoys including Hiranyalal Shreshtha, Deep Kumar Upadhyay, Durgesh Man Singh, Suresh Chalise and Mahesh Maskey said that  Nepal,  as the chair of the SAARC has a momentous role for the stability in the region. “We urge the government of Nepal to immediately take necessary initiative to start a dialogue with relevant countries in the region in order to address the emerging challenges.”

According to them, the political advancement of Taliban in Afghanistan is indeed a subject of concern to all SAARC member countries. “The unfolding situation there will have a far-reaching consequence on the region’s socio-economic, migration and security realms,” read the statement.

“Although Taliban has declared amnesty across Afghanistan, called women to resume work, school and join the government and are working for a negotiated settlement with other groups for the governance of the country, their appeal to international community for recognition has met with scepticism because of their past records when they were in power and their present unacceptable behaviour towards people who want to leave Afghanistan.”