Fact check, the legacy of Afghan interim rulers

Recently, the Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs has called on the United States to reopen its embassy in Kabul. During his visit to Afghan Consulate in Dubai, Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai urged the United States to come and open its Embassy in Kabul while Afghan authorities would take care of its security needs. According to Stanikzai, many countries had expressed their readiness to reopen their diplomatic missions in Kabul if America restores its relations with Afghanistan, so let both sides fulfill their responsibilities.

The Taliban interim government in Kabul faces global restrictions including a travel ban on its top-ranking officials, freezing of assets worldwide, and no global recognition of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan despite its over one-and-a-half-year rule in the country, mainly due to no abidance of its commitments with the global community regarding human and woman rights, inclusiveness of the government and no support for terrorism on Afghan land, as well as in the region and beyond. 

A few months back, the Taliban authorities had imposed a ban on girls’ education, woman’s travel, and jobs in particular sectors including media, INGOs, and the private sector which not only attracted a global uproar and criticism of Afghan authorities but also pushed the Taliban government into diplomatic isolation along with the trade and cultural disengagement with the rest of the world.

Interestingly, the Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister has tried to cover up other issues concerning IEA relations with the global community including its neighbors in the garb of security and vowed to fulfill IEA’s responsibilities by providing security to foreign missions in the country, whereas the Taliban government policies over the past one and a half years have estranged its long-standing friends and staunch foes equally.

Under the Doha agreement, Afghan interim rulers agreed to protect the fundamental rights of Afghan citizens including women, guaranteed the inclusiveness of the political system, and delineation from terrorist groups were other important points of the agenda that pave the way for the peaceful withdrawal of the US troops from Afghanistan. However, after coming to power, the Taliban authorities largely pursued the manifesto of their group instead of a national government representing over 40 million Afghans. Despite promising a soft rule, the Taliban ratcheted up restrictions against media, girls’ higher education, and employment, along with banning females’ movement in the country without a male escort. Although the Taliban regime stood up against the IS-K, yet other terror groups including the TTP, BLA, BLF, and ETIM enjoy the freedom of movement and save heavens inside Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, which not only created a rift between Islamabad and Kabul but also exposed the Afghan rulers in front of the world regarding their patronage of terror outfits.

Historically, the global community has utmost sympathizes with the people of war-hit Afghanistan due to persistent worst economic and humanitarian situations, coupled with natural calamities and tough seasons, therefore various nations across the globe remained engaged with the Taliban authorities despite political differences and massive economic assistance had been provided to Afghan people by the UN, the United States, the EU, and others.

However, the Afghan rulers persistently pushed themselves into diplomatic isolation through their policies and governance, which surely hurt Kabul’s efforts for global recognition and cooperation from the rest of the world. After the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, a majority of the world’s nations shut down their diplomatic missions in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, several friendly countries such as Pakistan, UAE, and Saudi Arabia also reduced or relocated their missions in Kabul in recent months, which caused an alarming situation for the ruling regime in Afghanistan. In fact, the Taliban had lost the trust and support of their most trusted allies and faced historical public disapproval due to their repressive policies amid the dire prevailing humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.

Realistically, the global community could not be engaged through mere press announcements and social media posts, the Islamic Emirate must not behave like an armed group/ political fiction of society but represent itself as a representative government of the entire Afghanistan by honoring its obligations regarding human, woman and minorities rights, increasing its cooperation with the global community in all domains including counter-terrorism which will ultimately give it validity in the global community and will pave the way for its greater integration the world.

As change can only come through actions not words, as early as Afghan authorities will grasp this reality, all internal and external issues would resolve accordingly, otherwise, the problems would multiply every other day.