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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, November 20, 2001

Sattar Says Islamabad No Longer Recognises Taliban Government

Pakistan Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar said Monday Islamabad no longer recognised the Taliban government in Afghanistan but had not severed diplomatic relations with the Islamic militia.
Sattar said the Taliban regime had collapsed but Islamabad had not "de-recognised" the government in the absence of an alternative and legitimate authority.


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Pakistan Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar said Monday Islamabad no longer recognised the Taliban government in Afghanistan but had not severed diplomatic relations with the Islamic militia. Sattar said the Taliban regime had collapsed but Islamabad had not "de-recognised" the government in the absence of an alternative and legitimate authority.

Sattar on his return from New York was briefing the media at the Foreign Office.

"We have not yet announced any de-recognition of the Taliban government but that does not mean that we continue to recognise it," he told a press conference. "It is the transitional administration established by the United Nations with which we would be happy to deal on a government-to-administration basis in this case.

"We do not recognise in the meantime a claim by any leader to represent the whole of Afghanistan." Sattar said that although the Taliban still had a functioning embassy in Pakistan, there was no diplomatic "business" being conducted between Islamabad and the hardline Islamic regime.

"Quite clearly the government has collapsed ... we do not conduct business between the government of Pakistan and whatever is left of the Taliban government," he said.






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