While several provincial capitals in Afghanistan continue to resist the assault, the Taliban’s victory is a forgone conclusion after the withdrawal of foreign troops and the air force. The Taliban office in Qatar has meanwhile sent delegations to major regional countries to assure that foreign fighters would not be allowed to use Afghan soil against any country. This indicates a welcome break from the past and one hopes that those still using the host country as a launching pad against Pakistan and other states will be taken care of. While continuing to wage war the Taliban maintain that a negotiated settlement is still their policy. US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad is to visit Qatar, Uzbekistan and Pakistan to try to rejuvenate Afghan peace process. One hopes that the Taliban will join the talks that should lead to a mutually agreed settlement
The Taliban however are determined to turn Afghanistan into an Islamic Emirate. Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen maintains that it will not be an Islamic dictatorship. In what respect will it be different from the present Islamic Republic of Afghanistan? The Afghan Taliban concede that women’s basic rights will be ensured, access to education and work will be provided while freedom of speech will be ensured. It is yet to be seen how far the country under the present Taliban would be different from Afghanistan under Mullah Umar.
The situation in Afghanistan would be high on the agenda of the ongoing SCO Foreign Ministers meeting as well as in the meeting of SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group. The Foreign Minister will share Pakistan’s perspective on the situation and stress the imperative of a peaceful, negotiated political solution
Pakistan needs to take urgent decisions regarding Afghan refugees and the timing of the recognition of the new realities in Afghanistan. Equally important is to realise the sensitivity of foreign policy issues which require delicate handling. There is a need on the part of the PM to bar unrelated ministers, special assistants and spokespersons from speaking on the issue. An important federal minister has talked about the “new, civilized Afghan Taliban”. Was it necessary to imply that the first generation Taliban were not civilised?
