JOHOR BARU – Special Envoy of the Prime Minister to the Middle East, Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang met with representatives of the Taliban and has apparently promised to look into Malaysian aid for Afghanistan.
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) spokesman Suhail Shaheen took to Twitter today to confirm the meeting which was held in Doha, Qatar.
According to Suhail’s tweet, he was accompanied by a delegation from the IEA’s political office, where they discussed situations faced by the Taliban government as well as the need for humanitarian and economic assistance from Malaysia.
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— Suhail Shaheen. محمد سهیل شاهین (@suhailshaheen1) February 3, 2022
I met his excellency Abdul Hadi Awanj, Special Representative of the Prime Minister of Malaysia and his delegation in Doha, today.I was accompanied by a delegation of the Political Office.We discussed the current situation in the country,needs for humanitarian and economic
“He (Hadi) promised Malaysia will do what it can to assist the Afghan people in this critical time.
“Both sides emphasised there is a need for visits by delegations from both countries to each other’s capitals for boosting mutual relations,” Suhail tweeted.
Visit to Doha to strengthen ties between M’sia, Qatar: Hadi
According to Hadi’s Facebook, he was indeed in Qatar from January 31 to February 4 with a mandate from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
However, according to Hadi’s post, the purpose of the visit to Doha is to strengthen ties between Malaysia and Qatar.
Hadi confirmed the meeting with Suhail – the latter of whom he referred to as permanent representative for the IEA to the United Nations.
“The visit was to express Malaysia’s willingness to work with Qatar to rebuild Afghanistan, support humanitarian missions and open doors for cooperation,” Hadi posted on Facebook.
Suhail is a Taliban member who served as deputy ambassador to Pakistan when it ruled from 1996 to 2001.
During the American occupation of Afghanistan, he served as Taliban spokesman from its political office in Doha.
Currently, the Taliban-led administration has nominated Suhail as a permanent representative to the UN.
However, Naseer Faiq, since December 2021, has been serving as Afghanistan’s chargé d'affaires to the UN, while Suhail remains unrecognised by the supranational organisation.
In August last year, Hadi’s son and PAS international affairs and external relations committee chairman Muhammad Khalil Abdul Hadi congratulated the Taliban for successfully freeing its homeland from the grasp of colonialism.
In an exclusive interview with The Vibes the same month, Taliban spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi welcomed PAS’ congratulatory gesture and hoped Malaysia’s fraternal bonds with Afghanistan would be strengthened. – The Vibes, February 4, 2022
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