AVA - Lalani: Canada needs diplomatic presence in Afghanistan

it’s time for diplomats to return to Kabul and deal with the Islamic Emirate. A former Canadian ambassador to Afghanistan said.

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA)_Monitoring, Arif Lalani told CTV News Canada never should have left, but stayed to address concerns on the ground.

Lalani served as Canada’s ambassador to Afghanistan from 2007 to 2008, and was also previously Canada’s top diplomat in Jordan, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates.

“I think withdrawing your forces and then negotiating is not a good strategy,” Lalani said. “If we left because of our own security, we should demand that our security is protected and we should be back on the ground.”

On restrictions facing girls, Lalani said that the West is “not acting urgently enough” for lifting the restrictions.

Lalani however believes Canada would be able to do much more for Afghans if it established diplomatic ties with the Islamic Emirate and used things like humanitarian assistance as leverage.

“There are no good easy answers in Afghanistan, but it’s time for us to take some tough decisions,” he said.