Let sanity prevail
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The Taliban are not a political party. Nor did they come to power through democratic elections. They had been fighting against “foreign occupation” and eventually won the war. The US could anticipate the inevitable. Accordingly, it had no qualms about entering into a formal agreement with the Taliban on 29 February 29 2020 which led to the withdrawal of US/NATO troops from the conflict-riven country.
The agreement, for all practical purposes, treated the Taliban as the incoming government of Afghanistan. Otherwise, why would the US seek assurances from them that the Afghan territory would not be used for terrorism anywhere in the world and the Taliban would leave no space for terrorist outfits of all hues in Afghanistan? However, when the Taliban finally took over Kabul on 15 August, the US and its allies refused to recognize their government, contending that the Taliban had not kept their commitments under the agreement.
Against the backdrop of the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, the United Nations Security Council took up the matter and adopted Resolution 2593 on 30 August. The resolution, inter alia, demanded that the Taliban should form a broad-based government representative of all ethnic groups and ensure women’s rights to education and work. These demands were reiterated in a subsequent resolution 2615 unanimously adopted on 15 January 2022.
Meanwhile, the US and other Western countries froze close to $9 billion of Afghan assets/funds, making it extremely difficult for the new Afghan rulers to get to grips with the deepening humanitarian crisis. Both the UN and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) found it difficult to raise sufficient funds to address the challenges at hand.
There are serious concerns that Afghanistan, in the absence of adequate international financial support, is inching toward an economic meltdown that would not only aggravate the economic misery for ordinary Afghans but also weaken the Taliban hold. From IS-K to ETIM, terrorist outfits and networks must be hankering after such a congenial scenario from their perspective.
The world must not expect the Taliban to transform themselves from a resistance force into a political party overnight and also endorse the post-9/11 Afghan constitution. They will take their time to adjust without moving too far away from their ideological moorings, for that would be seen as compromising the very rationale of their existence.
Abdul Basit
It is, therefore, a matter of some consolation that the world is at least engaging with the Taliban lest the situation on the ground worsen beyond redemption. The Taliban were invited to attend the extraordinary session of the OIC in Islamabad on 20 December last year; their Acting Foreign Minister also visited Norway and Switzerland and most recently attended the Antalya Diplomatic Forum in Turkey where he also met the US Special Representative for Afghanistan.
Whereas it is not yet clear what progress is being made in these engagements, it goes without saying that working out convergences would need mutual flexibility. The world must not expect the Taliban to transform themselves from a resistance force into a political party overnight and also endorse the post-9/11 Afghan constitution. They will take their time to adjust without moving too far away from their ideological moorings, for that would be seen as compromising the very rationale of their existence.
On the other hand, the Taliban must disabuse themselves of any delusion that the international community would ultimately accommodate them without accommodating some of its demands, especially related to forming an inclusive government and respecting fundamental human rights. The Taliban must understand that the world is not the same as it was in the 1990s. Unsurprisingly, this time round not a single country has extended the de jure recognition to the Taliban government. Even Qatar and Pakistan, who facilitated the Taliban-US talks, are not willing to break the international consensus.
The Taliban can definitely bide time. So can the international community. However, a prolonged stalemate will likely further complicate matters especially for Afghanistan itself and then the neighboring countries particularly Pakistan.
Indubitably, the primary onus is on the Taliban. It is their country and their people which have been suffering the most for decades. They cannot avoid making hard decisions, and the time to show their political mettle is now.
To begin with, the Taliban would do well to start preparing for convening a “Loya Jirgah” and securing political legitimacy, pending the drafting and adoption of a new constitution. This can be done in tandem with including members from other ethnic groups in the government. This, however, may be easier said than done. The Taliban can ill-afford to have an unwieldy government whose members may be working at cross purposes.
The Taliban must also assuage all apprehensions with practical steps regarding women. It is their inalienable right to get education and work in harmony with their cultural ethos. Afghanistan cannot expect to progress by denying half of its population the rights which are also given to them by their religion. Women rights are one of the fundamentals of Islam. The Taliban would do well to respect them and walk past the unnecessary controversy.
The world also needs to demonstrate flexibility in its own interest. Pushing the Taliban to the wall will likely boomerang. Maintaining pressure on the Taliban is justified. However, expecting things to turn on a dime is simply misplaced.
Let sanity prevail on all sides. It is time Afghanistan is spared of the Great Game.
- Abdul Basit is DG, Islamabad Centre for Regional Studies. He was previously Pakistan ambassador to Germany and Pakistan High Commissioner for India.
Twitter: @abasitpak1
