Kandahar, 1 June 2023 (TDI): On May 12, in the city of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan, the prime minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, met in private with Haibatullah Akhunzada, the Taliban’s supreme leader. The summit is a crucial turning point in Afghanistan’s efforts to break its isolation and interact with the world.
Possibility of Discussing Ending Isolation
The meetings between Prime Minister al-Thani and Haibatullah Akhunzada show the Taliban has changed its mind about participating in negotiations to ease tensions with the international community.
Qatar’s ability to take advantage of its long-standing ties to the Islamist movement while speaking out against Taliban restrictions on women is the key to its diplomatic success. With this involvement, Kabul and the international community can communicate more deeply.
United States support
President Joe Biden’s administration in the United States received a briefing on the negotiations and offered its support for raising the level of the talks. All matters brought up during the discussion, including advancing communication with the Taliban, are coordinated by both parties.
The urgent need to abolish the Taliban’s restrictions on women’s employment and education—essential steps towards ensuring human rights and gender equality—was one of the main topics covered during the meeting.
Ending Bans for Humanitarian Reasons
The Taliban’s restrictions on women working and attending school have been repeatedly urged to end by the international community, led by the United States. Millions of Afghans are now hungry and jobless due to these limitations that have hampered humanitarian aid efforts.
There is potential for progress by continuing these negotiations at a higher level, which would help Afghanistan out of its catastrophic humanitarian and financial challenges.
Former Afghan interior minister Ali Jalali stated that he does not believe Haibatullah will engage in serious discussion with the US and other nations until he resolves factional conflicts and disagreements on Afghanistan’s ban on girls’ education. Hardline Islamist Haibatullah has not shown any inclination to budge on his rules.
However, his discussion with Sheikh Mohammed shows that he is open to breaking Afghanistan’s isolation and strengthening humanitarian efforts as the nation descends into hunger and poverty.
The insider described the encounter as “very positive.” A discussion with the international community was something Haibatullah was “very interested” in accomplishing.
Sheikh Mohammed brought up with Haibatullah the necessity to remove the restrictions on women’s employment and education, particularly the prohibition on working for U.N. agencies and other humanitarian organizations.
According to the source, Sheikh Mohammed brought up with Haibatullah the “continued efforts on the ground” being made by the Taliban to combat terrorism, which is likely a reference to Kabul’s efforts to defeat the Islamic State affiliate.
The Taliban prime minister, Mullah Hassan Akhund, and Sheikh Mohammed, also the foreign minister of Qatar, met in public in Kandahar on the same day that he met the Taliban supreme leader. The head of Qatar’s intelligence was with him.
Although Qatar, a tiny Gulf monarchy, does not officially represent the United States in Afghanistan, its embassy there is open and serves that country’s interests.
Asserting that isolating Afghanistan might damage regional security, Qatar has long encouraged the international community to accept a “roadmap” of procedures for the Taliban to obtain legitimacy.
