'Responsibility towards Afghanistan for ties with Taliban': NATO on Pakistan

NATO also urged that any future Afghan government must adhere to Afghanistan's international obligations; safeguard the human rights of all Afghans, particularly women, children.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Friday expressed that Pakistan has a special responsibility towards Afghanistan as Islamabad possesses close relations with the Taliban, Pajhwok Afghan News reported.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg remarks came after the Taliban entered Kabul on Sunday and took control of the presidential palace.

NATO also urged that any future Afghan government must adhere to Afghanistan's international obligations; safeguard the human rights of all Afghans, particularly women, children, and minorities; uphold the rule of law; allow unhindered humanitarian access.

"Pakistan has close relations with the Taliban and now has a special responsibility towards Afghanistan," Jens Stoltenberg said during a NATO press briefing.

Stoltenberg's remarks came after the Taliban entered Kabul on Sunday and took control of the presidential palace. Panic has gripped the Afghan capital as people fear a return to the Taliban's brutal rule and the threat of reprisal killings.