Pakistan to attend crucial Afghan meeting in Doha

Pakistan would attend a crucial United Nations-sponsored conference being held in the Qatari capital next week to discuss roadmap for engagement with the Afghan Taliban government, according to an official statement issued by the Foreign Office on Friday.

Pakistan’s Special Representative on Afghanistan Ambassador Asif Durrani would lead the Pakistan delegation at the two-day meeting of the special envoys on Afghanistan in Doha from Feb 18 to 19, the statement added.
The conference – hosted by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres – is the second such moot in less than a year.

“The meeting is being convened … to discuss approaches for international engagement with Afghanistan in a more coherent and structured manner,” the statement read.

The statement said that Pakistan’s participation in the meeting was part of its efforts to actively engage with the international community, including the United Nations, to strengthen efforts for lasting peace and prosperity in Afghanistan.
Special envoys from the UN member states and international organisations would attend the conference, for which representatives from the Afghan civil society, women’s groups, and Taliban officials have also been invited.

The conference is a critical, high-level opportunity for donors and the region to chart next steps on how to improve the situation in Afghanistan and engage with the Taliban regime, according to the US Institute of Peace.

The conference will discuss the ongoing humanitarian and human rights crises and the recent report on a way forward by UN Special Coordinator for Afghanistan Feridun Sinirlioglu.

The Afghan Taliban government has also been invited to the conference but its participation is not certain yet.
The Taliban government wants to be treated as legitimate representatives of Afghanistan. Kabul also has reservations over the appointment of a UN special envoy on Afghanistan as recommended by a UN resolution passed a few weeks back.
Stephane Dujarric, the UN secretary-general’s spokesperson, said that the objective of the meeting is to discuss the international engagement approach with the Taliban since they reclaimed power.

“An important aspect of the event is the intention to provide the opportunity for the special envoys to meet collectively with Afghan stakeholders, including representatives of the de facto authorities and Afghan civil society participants, including women,” Dujarric told Voice of America.

A key agenda item for the conference is the potential appointment of a UN envoy who would coordinate increased international engagement with the Taliban leaders in Kabul.

The appointment, recommended in an independent UN assessment, is backed by the United States and its European allies.

China and Russia abstained from a Dec 2023 UN Security Council vote on a resolution authorising the secretary-general to appoint a special envoy for Afghanistan. However, the de facto Afghan authorities remain opposed to appointing the envoy.
The conference comes at a crucial juncture when the international consensus seems to be breaking. China last month accepted the Taliban-appointed ambassador in a move seen as being tantamount to recognising the Kabul regime. Beijing, however, has not yet clarified its stance.

The Pakistani side will advocate engagement with the Taliban government but link any recognition of the Kabul administration to fulfilling it international commitment, particularly denying terrorists a space to operate from their country.