London: Pen Farthing, the founder of the British animal charity that was accused of choosing to remove cats and dogs from Afghanistan over people, has urged the UK government to recognise the Taliban's rule.
According to The Telegraph, Farthing, the founder of Nowzad and a former Royal Marine, has visited Afghanistan five times since the Taliban took power and has called the government there "friendly."
Nowzad oversees a small animal care facility in Kabul where she runs vaccination and spaying/neutering campaigns for cats and dogs. In the Afghan capital, the charity also runs a sanctuary for horses and donkeys.
Also Read: Black Sea grain deal moves slowly following an extension
The Taliban have permitted the charity to "continue with our mission objectives," according to Farthing, who described interactions with the government as "always polite and friendly."
He urged accepting the Taliban's rule, saying: "They are back in power because we put them back in power." He also urged other Western nations to do the same.
In the midst of the Taliban takeover, Nowzad and Farthing were at the centre of controversy as the West evacuated Kabul. Following a prominent appeal by Farthing, the charity airlifted 94 stray animals out of the Afghan capital on one of the last flights out of the nation.
Also Read: The special envoy from China and Russia claim to have discussed the prospects for peace in Ukraine
Along with the animals, 67 Nowzad employees and their families departed the country for Pakistan before travelling to Britain. In the midst of desperate scenes showing the vast majority of Afghans in Kabul airport attempting to board emergency flights, critics accused the charity's director of favouring animals over people.
Evidence found after the evacuation pointed to former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson as the one who had defied the Foreign Office by approving Nowzad's stance regarding the last-minute evacuation flights.
An investigation later revealed that the charity's evacuation and appeal "absorbed significant time and resources of both civilian and military personnel."
Farthing, in response, said that the "privately funded" evacuation ought to be "rightly celebrated."
Maj. Andrew Fox, an Afghan war veteran of three tours, charged Farthing with "shilling Taliban propaganda" in comments to The Telegraph.
It really emphasises his status as one of the greatest self-obsessed hypocrites of our time, the speaker continued. It demonstrates unequivocally that he purposefully stoked unwarranted hysteria throughout the extraction, devoting time and energy away from saving lives.
Their Muslim neighbours in other nations criticise the Taliban. More than 400 British service members were murdered. They take an abhorrent stance on women's rights and education. They are destroying Afghanistan with their heinous policies.
According to Nowzad's website, the organisation is working to reestablish operations in Afghanistan and is urging Western engagement with the Taliban government there.
According to a statement, Western leaders continue to avoid having a productive conversation with the Afghan government, which is why the country is still being denied desperately needed aid. In our opinion, the situation is what it is.
Also Read: Sheriff of a Montana park confirms Saudi nationality of drowned victim
"Now that we are back in business and the word is getting out, we have seen a lot of concerned locals bringing injured dogs and cats to us for treatment. Thankfully, they never turned a blind eye.
"When one delighted rescuer came back with flowers to express gratitude to the team for caring for the dog he had brought to us, we were actually quite overcome."