Relations between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan have been warming up recently. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani speaks at the presidential palace in Kabul on July 15, 2018. Photo: Anadolu Agency/Haroon Sabawoon
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani speaks at the presidential palace in Kabul in July 2018. Photo: AFP / Anadolu / Haroon Sabawoon

A planned meeting between the Taliban and the Pakistani leadership has been cancelled following a complaint by the Afghan government to the United Nations about their neighbor interfering in Afghan affairs.

A representative of President Ashraf Ghani’s government at the United Nations sent a letter to the UN Security Council last Friday, saying an invitation for the Taliban to meet the Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was a “violation of the national sovereignty of Afghanistan”.

The letter signed by Nazifullah Salarzai, Deputy Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the UN, who noted that “engagements, which are taking place under the pretext of support for peace efforts in Afghanistan, are void of any degree of coordination and consultation with the Government of Afghanistan”.

Salarzai confirmed the authenticity of a copy of the letter that has been circulating online.

The reports of the meeting, which were confirmed by the Taliban, sparked anger among Afghan people and officials. Afghanistan has long accused Pakistan of not only supporting the Taliban insurgency but also providing safe havens to terror groups that work against its national interest.

The letter read: “This initiative is a source of deep regret and concern to the people and Government of Afghanistan as it amounts to the official recognition and legitimization of an armed group that poses a serious threat to security and stability of Afghanistan,” reflecting a popular opinion within the country.

Relations strained over ‘lack of action on terrorists’

Sibghat Ahmadi, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul, also informed local media that the letter was authentic.

“Yes, we have lodged a complaint. There are UN sanctions against members of the Taliban delegation which does not allow them to travel. It is a clear violation of the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, which is a red-line for us,” he said.

Relations between the two countries have been strained in the last few years, after persistent demands from Kabul for Islamabad to take tangible action against terror groups operating on its territory.

The latest saga is hardly surprising. The Trump administration has had special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad involved in talks with the Taliban in recent months to try to set the stage for a potential peace negotiation to end the 18-year-old war in Afghanistan. But the Afghan government has been left out of several rounds of talks, largely because the Taliban refused to talk to them at this stage.

However, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has continued to reach out to the parties involved and pushed international stakeholders for an Afghan-owned and led peace process.

On Monday, in a meeting with Mr Khalilzad, President Ghani urged the Taliban and Pakistan to be open about their relations. “The Taliban should clarify their ties with Pakistan, terrorist groups, and the criminal economy,” he said.

‘Can’t travel’

Later, the Taliban called off their meeting with Pakistani officials and said their leaders were unable to travel because they were blacklisted by the UN.

The insurgent group had previously said they intended to discuss “Pakistan-Afghan relations and issues pertaining to Afghan refugees and Afghan businessmen”, attempting to portray themselves as representing Afghan interests.

“The Islamic Emirate had arranged for their representatives to participate but unfortunately, most members of the negotiations team were unable to travel due to the US and UN blacklist and the meeting was postponed,” Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said.

Many Afghans felt this excuse was “laughable”, considering the UN blacklist did not stop the Taliban leaders from travelling to Moscow, the United Arab Emirates or Iran for similar meetings over the past few months.

“The matter of Taliban not being able to travel to Pakistan due to UN sanctions is a laughable ruse. Having traveled out of Pakistan and far-off destinations of the world, the Taliban certainly don’t need UN permission for a meeting at home,” former Afghan deputy foreign minister Jawed Ludin said.

He noted the long-held suspicion among Afghans that Pakistan was providing a base for many Taliban leaders.

Spozmai Stanikzai, a former diplomat and student of international relations, said: “It’s a psychological war. In my view, they just want to show the US and political opposition groups in Afghanistan that the Afghan government is the main obstacle in the peace process. Otherwise, they are a rickshaw ride away from meeting Imran Khan.

“[The] ‘Quetta Shora’ in Pakistan doesn’t need a visa or tickets to meet Imran Khan. They get instructions from Pakistan. After all the international pressure on Pakistan, I am sure they didn’t want to meet with the Taliban – a known terrorist group – days after attacks in Pulwana and Zahedan.”

Join the Conversation

1152 Comments

  3. I’ve recently started a web site, the information you provide on this website has helped me tremendously. Thank you for all of your time & work. “A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others.” by Ayn Rand.

  4. Excellent items from you, man. I’ve understand your stuff previous to and you are just too great. I actually like what you’ve received right here, certainly like what you are saying and the best way through which you say it. You make it enjoyable and you continue to care for to keep it smart. I can not wait to learn much more from you. That is really a tremendous site.

  5. I like the helpful information you provide in your articles. I will bookmark your weblog and check again here frequently. I’m quite certain I’ll learn plenty of new stuff right here! Best of luck for the next!

  6. It?¦s really a cool and helpful piece of information. I am happy that you just shared this helpful info with us. Please stay us informed like this. Thanks for sharing.

  8. I carry on listening to the reports lecture about getting free online grant applications so I have been looking around for the most excellent site to get one. Could you advise me please, where could i acquire some?

  14. Good post. I be taught something tougher on completely different blogs everyday. It would at all times be stimulating to learn content from different writers and observe just a little something from their store. I’d prefer to use some with the content on my weblog whether you don’t mind. Natually I’ll give you a link on your web blog. Thanks for sharing.

  15. Hi my friend! I wish to say that this post is awesome, nice written and include approximately all significant infos. I would like to see more posts like this.

  16. Only a smiling visitant here to share the love (:, btw great design. “The price one pays for pursuing a profession, or calling, is an intimate knowledge of its ugly side.” by James Arthur Baldwin.

  18. I do agree with all of the ideas you’ve presented in your post. They are very convincing and will definitely work. Still, the posts are too short for novices. Could you please extend them a bit from next time? Thanks for the post.