Withholding formal international recognition to the Taliban is unjustified
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There was huge euphoria and enthusiasm as Taliban swept into power a year ago. That warm embrace of the leaders of the movement was short lived and the hard realities of a country so awfully dependent on foreign aid began to sink in soon.
A country that was dependent on external assistance for 70 per cent of its national budget plunged into dire straits when foreign inflows were suddenly discontinued. Today, more than half of nearly 40 million people of the country face food insecurity. Famine and starvation loom. Unemployment, about 80 percent, is at record highs. Most of the trained manpower has left the country. Doctors, engineers and technicians have preferred to relocate mostly to the US and Europe for a better future. The police force and army have disintegrated, creating a frightening vacuum in the law enforcement sector.
But it is acute poverty that is cause for worry. Drought, the earthquake and then floods have further added to the immense suffering of the people. Against this background, the issue of non-recognition of the Taliban government has created an agonizing dilemma. In the absence of formal recognition by the international community, the Afghan banking system has become paralyzed. No funds can be received by the Afghan central bank from outside the country because of sanctions. The country has about $9 billion kept in foreign countries. Of these, $7 billion of Afghan assets are staked in the American reserve bank, money Washington has refused to release while making several allegations. This is the biggest challenge of the Taliban government at the moment.
The US government argues that Taliban have not strictly complied with the provisions of the Doha agreement. In support of this claim, they speak of the killing of the Al Qaeda leader in Kabul in early August. Al Zawahiri was killed by a US drone in the balcony of his house in Kabul. US officials are also critical of Taliban’s approach to women’s education. The restriction on girls’ secondary education has caused concern not only in the US but also in Europe and the region.
The issue of non recognition has assumed critical importance in the unfolding economic collapse of the country. There are however, compelling arguments on why the withholding of formal recognition is unjustified. Firstly, Taliban have complete control over the entire country. Peace has been restored after more than four decades of conflict. No other force challenges the writ of the Kabul government. All warlords have fled the country and private militias are no longer operating.
The Taliban must realize that time is not on their side. Any further delay in formal recognition could be dangerous for them and for the country
Rustam Shah Mohmand
These are strong credentials on which to build a case for recognition. The Taliban government does not pose any threat to any country. They are engaged in a relentless war against Daesh and some other brutal militant outfits. These groups fear complete elimination once Taliban consolidate their hold on the whole country. That explains their desperation to inflict maximum damage before they are routed out by a stable and effective Taliban administration.
In a situation like this, when a movement has brought peace and is engaged in a bitter fight against terror outfits, it should be the responsibility of the international community to extend moral and material help to the government. But paradoxically, the world community is doing just the opposite: It is making the government weak and vulnerable for militant groups to launch attacks. The worsening state of the economy could lead to chaos, and trigger the return of the warlords and the beginning of another deadly cycle of internal conflict.
Considering the whole situation dispassionately, there appears to be no valid reasons for not extending formal recognition to the Taliban government. Only by extending recognition and working with the Kabul government closely in areas like education, infrastructure development and health delivery systems, can circumstances be created for a sustainable, durable peace in the country and the region.
But on the other hand, have the Taliban done enough to get this message across to the world? Sadly, no. The Taliban have been completely unable to launch a robust campaign to explain their government’s role and policy on a number of key issues. They have not taken regional countries into confidence on their policies towards other ethnic minorities, on girls seeking higher education, on a more participatory cabinet etc. Indeed, they seem to be completely and dismally out of touch with the prevailing mood in the region. They have a strong case for recognition which they have not been able to present to the region and to the wider world. There is a strange feeling of complacency, of ‘Things will get better.’ But this has not worked.
The Taliban must realize that time is not on their side. Any further delay in formal recognition could be dangerous for them and for the country. It is time they wake up to the ground realities and begin to solicit support regionally and internationally. They should focus on countries like China, Central Asia, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Pakistan. At the same time, they must review their policy on girls’ secondary and higher education and employment of women. Higher education for girls can be provided within the framework of adequate protections. They must also include some representatives of other ethnic minorities in their cabinet to make it more broad-based. Taliban should begin to work on the framing of a Constitution for the country based on Islamic principles. These measures will go a long way in helping to dispel the misperceptions that currently obstruct their alignment with the wider world.
– Rustam Shah Mohmand is a specialist of Afghanistan and Central Asian Affairs. He has served as Pakistan’s ambassador to Afghanistan and also held position of Chief Commissioner Refugees for a decade.
