2024-07-03 13:53:32
Doha: The third conference on the situation in Afghanistan was held on Sunday under the leadership of the United Nations in Doha, the capital of Qatar. This meeting was important in this sense because for the first time the Taliban, which is in power in Afghanistan, also participated in the international level talks. A total of 25 countries participated in the meeting, including Afghanistan’s important neighbor India. Taliban representatives participated in this meeting but the UN made it clear that the participation of the Taliban in the meeting does not mean that their government is getting international recognition. In this conference, the situation of women in Afghanistan was especially discussed. Many speakers expressed concern about the plight of women in Afghanistan.
New Delhi was represented at the UN meeting by JP Singh, Joint Secretary, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran (PAI) Division of the Ministry of External Affairs. JP Singh visited Kabul in March this year and held meetings with Taliban leaders. Relations between India and the Taliban have softened in recent times. However, India is still being cautious with the Taliban. India is working closely with the Taliban in Afghanistan according to humanitarian and security needs.
Taliban presence in the conference
The Taliban delegation of Afghanistan also participated in the third round of talks organized by the United Nations. A five-member Taliban delegation led by Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid came to Doha. Mujahid said during this time that our participation in the Doha meeting shows that the Islamic regime of Afghanistan is committed to positive engagement. He said that we see this meeting as an important opportunity to discuss the unilateral and multilateral sanctions imposed against us on the financial and banking sectors as well as the broader challenges facing the national economy.
Zabiullah Mujahid, the chief spokesperson of the Taliban government of Afghanistan and the leader of the delegation, wrote on X that during the meeting, representatives of countries like Russia, India and Uzbekistan were talked to. During this, the Taliban also thanked India for its support. Earlier, the United Nations had not invited the Taliban to the first meeting held on Afghanistan. Regarding the second meeting, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had said that the Taliban had put unacceptable conditions for participating in it, which also included the demand that members of Afghan civil society be excluded from the talks and the Taliban be recognized as the legitimate rulers of the country.