Pakistan on Tuesday found itself left as the only country in the world to recognize the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, but officials insisted there was no question of snapping ties with Kabul.
Pakistan was out in the cold after Saudi Arabia severed relations with the Taliban on Tuesday, following the lead three days before of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) -- the only other nation which had recognized the hard-line Islamic militia.
But Pakistan foreign ministry spokesman Riaz Mohammad Khan said Islamabad had no intention of following suit, even though it has withdrawn its entire embassy staff from Kabul.
"Our position remains the same. There is no change," Khan said.
The decision of Saudi Arabia and UAE came as US forces stood poised to launch military strikes against Afghanistan, where the Taliban has refused to hand over indicted terrorist Osama bin Laden -- the alleged mastermind behind the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.
Khan reiterated that maintaining diplomatic ties with Kabul was a "geographical compulsion" for Pakistan -- the main conduit for international humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.
Khan has previously described the Afghan embassy in Islamabad as a vital "window to the world" through which the Taliban's communications with the international community were maintained -- ISLAMABAD (AFP)
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
