SHAFAQNA PAKISTAN- The foreign ministers of India, Russia and Pakistan on Friday (05 May 2023) called for a representative government in Afghanistan and the protection of women’s rights, almost two years after the Islamist Taliban swept to power in Kabul.
They were speaking at the day-long meeting of foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the Indian coastal resort state of Goa, just ahead of a meeting scheduled over the weekend in Pakistan between the foreign ministers of Pakistan, China and Afghanistan.
The hopes and aspirations pertain to securing foreign interests in Afghanistan, not to enable terrorists to use their soil for ulterior motives against neighbours, and eradicating drug and human trafficking. Though a tall order for the recognition-starved entity in Kabul, the intention is to make it realise that a broad and inclusive government is indispensable. As a delegation from Kabul is due in Islamabad next week for a trilateral huddle also involving China, the SCOs communique will surely act as a pressure valve.
While the Taliban had taken major strides in ensuring women’s empowerment since they swung back to power in August 2021, much still remains to be done.
The immediate priorities, nonetheless, before the regional states must be to ensure that the war-torn country does not slip back into anarchy, and the unscrupulous elements that are holed up inside are taken out
The failure of the conference to produce any workable solution to the Afghan conundrum will have serious ramifications for Afghanistan and its extended neighbourhood. Talk of ending the isolation of Afghanistan would no longer be an issue of immediate concern. That would induce more indifference towards the international community, creating more despair and frustration. Problems like hunger and unemployment would exacerbate, leading to heightened fears of starvation in the country. In such a grim situation, dangers would arise for peace and security.
One notable achievement of the Taliban administration so far has been the establishment of peace in the country amidst daunting challenges. The economy is fragile and hunger is taking a toll. But after many years, peace has finally returned to a population that was sick of unending conflicts causing death and destruction. That peace would be in peril if the system breaks down and anarchy spreads.
In the face of such grim prospects, it will be unfair if the international community were to disengage with the current rulers, prolonging the country’s isolation. There is certainly a need for a purpose-oriented and well-thought-out engagement with the Taliban administration. Such institutionalised contacts could help create an environment for the establishment of formal contacts with the government in Kabul. The issues of women’s right to work and girls’ education could be taken up more vigorously and determinedly with the Taliban administration. Once a certain amount of trust has been established, the Taliban would be more willing to discuss issues that come in the way of ending the current isolation. That climate of trust does not exist at the moment.
One has to remember how the Taliban government was dismantled and how the prisoners were treated in the wake of the US occupation of the country in 2001. Afghanistan has to enter a new era of peace and progress for its 38 million people. The Taliban have to learn to live alongside the international community and get the benefits of investment, of new avenues for trade, of benefiting from a treasure trove of hidden mineral wealth estimated to be worth $1.5 trillion!
There are many powerful commanders in the Taliban movement who are eager to get women’s rights restored and who are willing to encourage higher education for girls. These leaders have to play a role in ending the ban on girls’ higher education. They have to use their influence to bring women back into the workforce.
But this would require prudent and cautious steps. There would be voices for ending the isolation of the country and affording opportunities for girls to acquire higher education from within the Taliban hierarchy. Such leaders with a liberal approach have to be encouraged to play a role.
That can be accomplished not by dictating policies but by creating more trust and continuing contacts with the world at all levels. Only such an approach can deliver the goal of a peaceful, progressive Afghanistan that would transform lives of millions.
Source: Shafaqna Pakistan
read more from shafaqna:
UN’s report: Taliban ruling through extreme forms of misogyny & certain interpretations of religion