An Afghan soldier stands in a military vehicle on a street in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 15, 2021 Reuters

Too early to say if Dhaka will recognize a Taliban government, Foreign Minister Dr Momen says    

As Taliban fighters enter Kabul to take charge of Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has said Bangladesh is closely observing the situation in the fellow member state of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc).

He also said that Dhaka was not worried about the assumption of power by the Taliban and that any change of government in Kabul would not affect Bangladesh in a big way.

“We are closely monitoring the situation in Afghanistan,” Foreign Minister Dr Momen told Dhaka Tribune on Sunday evening.

Responding to a question, he said: “We are not worried now, but we are keeping an eye on the situation.”

When asked if Bangladesh would recognize a Taliban government, Dr Momen said: “It is too early to say. Let us see how the situation evolves.”

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Asked if the capture of power by the Taliban would affect Bangladesh in any way, he said:, “I do not think it will affect us in a big way. However, there are some quarters who will try to make Bangladesh affected by this. We are careful in this regard.”

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On the future Taliban government, the foreign minister said: “It is to be seen how they conduct themselves. It has been 20 years since they last ruled the country. Twenty years is a long time.”   

Referring to Bangladeshi Taliban fighters, he said the government would continue to make sure that Bangladeshis were not involved with the movement.

Bangladeshis in Afghanistan

Dr Momen said that the government did not know the exact number of Bangladeshis currently living in Afghanistan.

“I do not know the exact number of Bangladeshis right now. It could be around 300,” he added.

“Most of the Bangladeshis there work for Brac, which has a sizeable operation in Afghanistan. A few days ago, we asked Brac to evacuate their non-essential staff members and the Brac chairman has informed us that action has been taken in this regard.”