Introduction
It has almost been three months since the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The day commenced the statement of organized assembly of US military in the state of Afghanistan and marked their removal 20 years later. However, following the announcement of the Hon’ble President of America Donald Trump, regarding the withdrawal of the troops, the hardline Islamic group, the Taliban gained control and retook power in Afghanistan. Taliban now has its own elected dedicated government for Afghanistan, with regulations strictly siding with the Islamic Sharia laws which are supposedly anti-feminist and patriarchal in nature.
With the world staying vigilant and drawing its serious attention towards Afghanistan’s new leaders and how they unfold the destiny of the state, America in furtherance of the peaceful passage of its troops to their homes held its first talks with the Taliban leaders in Doha on Sunday.
The Talks
With the Taliban advocating about their ideologies and principles to have gone liberal in the context of ever-changing time, the world is under no obligation to buy the hardcore Islamic establishment at its word. The same stance was embodied by the US delegations when they arrived in Doha for the first time after the Taliban’s recapturing of Afghanistan. The talks focused on security and terrorism concerns along with ensuring safe passage for US citizens, foreign nationals and local Afghans who were willing to seek refuge and pledged defiance against the radical institution. The talks further hovered briefly over human rights and further encouraged the meaningful participation of women and girls in all aspects of Afghan society.
The talks between the senior delegations between the two countries have promised an “opening of a new page” in bilateral relations. The foreign minister of Afghanistan Mullah Amir Khan Muttaqi further asked the American delegates to lift the ban on the reserves of Afghanistan’s central bank. He further hinted that the US can offer Covid Vaccines to set off on the right foot. Though the Taliban has always been perceived, portrayed and projected as an organization that prefers to work in secrecy and silence, it is now opening its doors for foreign tours, meetups and conventions. The local journalists from Doha further concretized that the acting ministers of the Afghan government have looked beyond their shores and asked the international communities for financial assistance.
The talks between the states may have resounded and resembled smoothness, but there is still a notable ‘chasm’ between the nations as to what they want and expect from their counterpart. The talks, therefore, did not seem to have enunciated on recognizing and legitimizing the Taliban government but only furthered the US’s vested national interests. In the USA, in its furtherance of suggestive ideas of the western essence of human rights and more female inclusion to the Afghanistan government, the views were unequivocally dismissed by the Taliban delegations proclaiming it to be their internal matter. The same response also adhered when the idea of the US containing Armed groups surfaced.
The delegators also surfaced the prominent issue which is the burning question in the eyes of the world i.e, to hold Taliban to its word and commitment that it shall not home, foster and breed terrorism and extremism of any kind. It was also eminently pointed that the beautiful state of Afghanistan must and should not be subjected to becoming a hotbed for Al-Qaeda and other extremist terrorist groups.
Furthermore, in order to concretize the bilateral relations, the US delegation firmly pressed the Afghan delegates to itch the government in releasing kidnapped American Mark Frerichs. Frerichs was a soldier in the Navy who was in Afghanistan for the past 10 years and working on a municipal water project where he was supposedly kidnapped by the Taliban- related Haqqani network.
What Happens Now
There is no immediate consequence of the ‘talks’ as of now. The talks were in just continuation of the US-Taliban agreement of 2020 negotiated by the Trump-led government. The USA is under no duress and obligation to take up the new instituted Taliban government at their words and rather believe that the action shall speak louder than hollow promises. The US delegators and the government in the centre have now solidified the emotion that the forceful capture was a sign of weakness and cowardice. Now that the Taliban is helmed as the government in the centre, it must fruit up the flower of Afghanistan while preserving the sovereignty of the state at the same time.