Pakistan's Foreign Ministry called on the Taliban to respond to the needs and demands of the Afghan people, including the reopening of girls' schools, instead of interfering in the country's internal affairs.
The Taliban had previously asked Islamabad to hold talks with the protesters.
In a statement on Monday, October 7, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry rejected recent statements by the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi, calling them "baseless".
The Taliban's Foreign Ministry spokesman on Sunday called on the Pakistani government to negotiate and reach an understanding with the pro-Imran Khan protesters about their "legitimate demands". The Taliban also called on the Pakistani government to deal with the protesters' grievances in a "reasonable" and "realistic" manner.
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said that the Taliban should focus on resolving their internal problems instead of interfering in Pakistan's internal affairs. "The Taliban should prioritise inclusive [government formation] and respond to the needs and aspirations of their people, including the right of women and girls to education," the ministry statement said.
The ministry stressed that the Taliban has restricted the rights of Afghan women and girls through a misinterpretation of religion.
In the statement, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry once again accused the Taliban of supporting and harbouring terrorist groups and called on the group to fulfil its obligations to the international community.
The Taliban, which has cracked down on dozens of civil movements in Afghanistan over the past three years, on Sunday advised Islamabad not to ignore demonstrations by Imran Khan's supporters because "refusing to negotiate complicates matters".
The Taliban are encouraging the Pakistani government to reach an understanding and negotiate with the protesters, while it itself has violently suppressed dozens of peaceful civil movements in various cities of Afghanistan over the past three years. In the past three years, various cities in Afghanistan have witnessed demonstrations whose voices were not heard by the Taliban.
Most of these demonstrations have been held in response to the ban on women's right to education and work, widespread human rights violations, repression and deprivation of power by ethnic groups, non-payment of pensioners' salaries, and widespread poverty. Over the past three years, the group has imprisoned hundreds of peaceful protesters, civil society activists, journalists, human rights activists, and political opposition figures.
Reports by human rights organisations show that the Taliban has used violence against their opponents in prisons. In the past three years, there have been several reports that show that some opponents of the Taliban have died under torture in the group's prisons.
