Khar’s Kabul visit

EDITORIAL: Short of according diplomatic recognition Pakistan has done everything possible to help the Taliban interim government feel its feet on the ground and function as a viable entity to help the Afghans move out of their bitter past and join the international community as an equal partner.

But the response has been laconic, in that it wants recognition first and anything then, and thus the Pak-Afghan bilateralism falls short of fulfilment, conceding space to elements in Afghanistan who are hell-bent to create chaos in Pakistan.

One such element is the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which, coincidental to Pakistan State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hina Rabbani Khar, announced an end to the ceasefire and resume its terrorist activities, although it had already carried out some acts of terrorism in Swat and tribal districts much before its grim announcement.

But even then Pakistan wanted to give peaceful bilateralism another try. So, following a meeting with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar last week Khar set out on a day-long visit to Kabul and held talks with her counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi and some other concerned Taliban leaders.

According to a Foreign Office statement, the two sides discussed matters related to regional security with mutual cooperation in countering terrorism, and issues and policies impacting the interim government’s engagement with the international community.

And the Afghan officials said the two countries also agreed to introduce “new mechanisms to advance for bilateral relationships to review all common opportunities and problems through dialogue and to make progress”.

But more importantly, Minister of State Khar in her engagements with Taliban leadership underscored the imperatives for the international community to practically engage with the Taliban government to help Afghanistan address the dire humanitarian situation and the challenges of reconstruction and socio-economic development. And for this she proposed unfreezing of Afghanistan’s financial assets, a move that can kick-start possibilities of ending Taliban’s diplomatic isolation and the Kabul conceding space to women in Afghanistan.

This is a bargain for which the time has come. A diplomatically-recognised Talban government would be left with no excuse to be harsh on women, particularly girls on whom the doors of their schools have been shut.

That was not the case in early days of the present Taliban regime, but as the possibility of their regime being diplomatically recognised receded they reacted by reverting to their role during their first stint in power. Being an astute diplomat Khar, who earlier visited Afghanistan in 2012 as foreign minister, had her own way to underscore the urgent need to let Afghan women be equal partners with men to rebuild the war-ravaged Afghanistan.

As she left for Kabul the Afghan Women’s Network, which represents several activists groups, told her: “You serve as an example of status of women in our neighbouring country. We call on you to use your visit not only as minister but also as a woman and as a Muslim woman leader to support the women of Afghanistan and strengthen our solidarity”.

The minister heard them clearly, and during her Kabul visit had a luncheon meeting with representatives of the Women’s Chamber of Commerce. She told them Pakistan is keen to strengthen linkages between entrepreneurs of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

She also assured them that Pakistan would give special preference to the import of products produced by the businesses run by Afghan women.

Hers is a visit which may not turn out to be game-changer, but certainly it makes a case for diplomatic recognition of the Taliban interim government, which in turn would secure the rights of Afghan women as equal citizens of Afghanistan.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022