Doha Meet Without Afghan Representatives Free Pass To Taliban, Say Women, Political Groups

Several anti-Taliban political parties and women’s groups have expressed their concerns about the upcoming third Doha meeting in a joint statement.

These groups argue that any dialogue conducted without the main representatives of the Afghan people constitutes a concession to the “terrorist group” Taliban.

In a statement received by Afghanistan International on Wednesday, these political groups emphasised that past experiences from similar dialogues over the past four decades demonstrate that without the legitimate representation of the people’s will and wishes, “engagement with terrorist entities does not solve the problem and will only exacerbate the crisis”.

The statement noted that Afghanistan is under the “usurping” rule of the Taliban, and that increasing structured and cohesive international engagement only makes sense if the will and interests of all the people are considered.

The statement added: “Political parties, groups involved in the issues, and women’s protest movements, as the articulators of the will of the people, ethnic groups, and women against the oppression, terrorism, discrimination, and apartheid dominating the country, should be present at the meeting to discuss international engagement with Afghanistan.”

These groups reiterated their support for the appointment of the United Nations Special Representative for Afghanistan, but with the condition that “his selection and mission be carried out in comprehensive consultation with internal, regional, and international entities involved in the Afghan issue.”

Political parties and women’s movements opposed to the Taliban clarified that the mission of the potential UN representative for Afghanistan should be “resolving the root of the crisis based on the human and fundamental rights of the Afghan people, rather than overlooking the people’s suffering to achieve engagement with inflexible and blatant terrorism.”

The statement stressed that any “unilateralism” in appointing the UN Special Representative will undermine his effectiveness and the cooperation of internal and international entities with him.

Referring to the “criminal acts” of the Taliban government over the past nearly three years, the statement warned that “any unilateral and behind-closed-doors engagement with this group equates to overlooking the will, human rights, and all the sufferings and calamities that the people of Afghanistan have endured from this group over three decades.”

The third Doha meeting, with the presence of country representatives for Afghanistan, will be held on June 30 and July 1.

The United Nations has announced that the goal of this meeting is to “increase structured and cohesive international engagement with Afghanistan.”

The Taliban have also been invited to this meeting, and in recent days, the foreign ministry of this group has reported consultations regarding appointing their representative for Doha.