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KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s official stand on the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan will be decided at the weekly cabinet meeting this Friday, said Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.
Saifuddin said Malaysia is engaging with all relevant stakeholders, including the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and humanitarian groups in Afghanistan, to seek their views and feedback on the issue.
He said for now, Malaysia is taking a cautious approach in deciding on its official stand concerning the Taliban takeover.
“This evening, I will call on Qatar Foreign Minister (Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani) and OIC secretary-general (Yousef Al-Othaimeen) to seek their advice and opinion concerning the affairs in Afghanistan,” he told a press conference after a working visit to the Southeast Asia Regional Centre for Counter-Terrorism (SEARCCT) here today.
The Taliban fighters entered Kabul on August 15 and took control of Afghanistan for the first time in almost 20 years as US troops withdrew from the country. Following the Taliban’s capture of the Afghan capital, president Mohammad Ashraf Ghani left the country.
The Taliban has yet to set up a government.
Saifuddin said Malaysia is monitoring the situation in Afghanistan through various channels, including through the Malaysian high commission in New Delhi, India, which is concurrently accredited to Kabul, besides representatives in Pakistan.
On the status of Afghan ambassador to Malaysia Moheb Rahman Singhar, Saifuddin said the diplomat is an appointee of the former Afghan government and has not been recalled back to his country.
He also said the Malaysian high commission in New Delhi is constantly in touch with two Malaysians in Afganistan who are working for an international humanitarian organisation in Kabul. – Bernama, September 7, 2021