Kabul: Months after taking over control of Afghanistan, the Taliban on Wednesday asked the United States to release Afghan assets frozen by Washington after the insurgent group seized control of Kabul, news agency AFP reported.
According to reports, Washington has seized around $9.5 billion in assets belonging to the Afghan central bank, resulting in a severe economic crisis in the aid-dependent country, leaving civil servants unpaid for months and the treasury being unable to pay for imports.
An open letter was issued by Afghanistan's new rulers which stressed to release the "frozen assets of Afghan people by the American government."
In the letter, Taliban's acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi also warned that economic turmoil at home could lead to trouble abroad.
After Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan, several nations have pledged hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to help the war-torn nation overcome the economic and humanitarian crises. However, these countries are still reluctant to commit funds unless the Taliban agree to form an inclusive government and to guarantee the rights of women and minorities.
"Despite the fact that following the signing of the Doha Agreement in February 2020, we no longer find ourselves in direct conflict with one another nor are we a military opposition, what logic could possibly exist behind the freezing of our assets?" Muttaqi was quoted in the statement as saying.
"At a time when we have an excellent opportunity for positive relations, reaching for the option of sanctions and pressure cannot help improve our relations," he said.
Further in the letter, Muttaqi also pointed out that it is necessary for both Taliban and US to take positive steps in order to build trust.
Taliban Fear Mass Migration
Taliban is concerned that with no change in the current situation, the Afghan people will face greater difficulties and the country will become a source of mass migration in the region and the world, Muttaqi said in his letter.
"If the current situation prevails, the Afghan government and people will face problems and will become a cause for mass migration in the region and world which will consequently create further humanitarian and economic issues," he said.
The minister also said that the continuation of freezing of Afghan assets will not only create more humanitarian crises but a deeper economic problem for the world.