KARACHI:
The Taliban initially gained notoriety across the world as the Pakistan Taliban or the Afghan Taliban. They drew considerable attention after the 9/11 attacks and the US invasion to obliterate their existence. The resultant War on Terror continued for over 20 years. In 2020 however, the Doha accord was signed in order to put an end to the grueling war. As a result, the Taliban were happy and inscribed a post-US withdrawal vision which was published in The New York Times.
Sirajuddin Haqqani, the leader of the Haqqani network, made bold claims in his opinion piece, also published in The New York Times back in February 2020, which included equal rights to be given to women and the right to education and work. Despite these claims, they have displayed an overtly opposite behaviour. The Taliban have initiated an indirect war against women. And now, they are making rampant advancements to take over Afghanistan and have reportedly managed to take control of 85% of the region.
This goes against their manifesto. The Taliban are now using diplomatic strategies for international recognition. The regional powers should remind the Taliban of the visionary pledges they made and work to promote peace and stability in the region.
Michael Samuel
Rawalpindi
Published in The Express Tribune, August 5th, 2021.
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