China hopes that the UN Security Council will extend travel ban exemption for the leaders of the Islamic Emirate in a bid for the international community to remain engaged in Afghanistan.  

Talking to reporters at the Security Council Media Stakeout, the Chinese Ambassador at the UNSC, Zhang Jun, said that the humanitarian situation is critical in Afghanistan.  

“We cannot say that we want the Afghanistan government to do something but meanwhile we don’t give them any chance to have access to the international community. We cut off their linkage with other countries, so that is not reasonable, I said,” the Chinese envoy Zhang Jun said.  

The Islamic Emirate said that imposing pressure and restrictions on Afghanistan is not a solution.  

“The time to impose restrictions is passed—it had no result. Over the past 20 years, the restrictions extended even to bombardments. It was negotiations and engagement that changed the situation and saved Afghanistan and released the Americans from major fighting. The door for negotiations from our side is still open and they should not use a heavy hand,” Islamic Emirate’s spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said.  

Analysts said that disputes between West and East caused the disagreement over the travel ban exemption of the Islamic Emirate’s leader.  

“The lack of extension of the travel ban exemption for the leaders of the Islamic Emirate is due to strong disagreements between the West, led by the US, and the East, led by Russia and China. This shows that Afghanistan has become a center of rivalry between West and East once again after 20 years,” said Noorullah Raghi, an international relations analyst.  

“If the Taliban don’t reconsider their policy as soon as possible and don’t lift restrictions on women’s rights, rights of citizens, political inclusion, society and cultural matters, Afghanistan will be driven to isolation with each day passing,” said Wali Frozan, an international relations analyst.  

Earlier, the AFP reported some diplomats privy to the issue as saying that the UNSC is divided over the issue of travel ban exemptions for 13 Islamic Emirate leaders.