The Taliban’s chief diplomat is urging the United Nations to recognize its representatives, arguing that participating in global forums is both necessary and a right for the group.
Suhail Shaheen, who has previously engaged with the UN on behalf of the Taliban and now oversees its embassy in Qatar, stated that the Taliban has been the de facto government of Afghanistan for nearly four years. He believes they deserve a role in international discussions.
“The presence of representatives from the Islamic Emirates at the United Nations is both a need and a right for our government,” Shaheen shared with Afghanistan’s Toro News, emphasizing that through these representatives, various issues can be addressed.
The Taliban refers to itself as the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,” contrasting with the previous Islamic Republic, which was acknowledged as the legitimate government. Since their takeover of Kabul, no country has officially recognized the Taliban, following their swift overthrow of then-President Ashraf Ghani.
While no nation officially recognizes the Taliban, a few have accepted their rule as a temporary governance, allowing limited trade and negotiations. Countries like Iran and China have quickly pursued partnerships with the Taliban, particularly in mining and resource sectors. As of September, the Taliban claims to be running 39 Afghan missions worldwide, asserting that they are “fully operational.”
“We call on the international community and the UN to evaluate Afghanistan based on current realities,” said Maurawi Mutotaki, suggesting a more pragmatic approach to diplomatic relations with the Taliban, as reported by the Bakhtar news agency.
The Taliban previously ruled Afghanistan in the 1990s until the US invasion followed by the September 11 attacks in 2001. Evidence indicates that they still maintain connections with al-Qaeda, the group behind the attacks. Notably, al-Qaeda’s leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, was killed in a US airstrike in Kabul last year, reportedly living there with assistance from a Taliban official.
The ongoing relationship with al-Qaeda is one reason the UN has withheld formal recognition of the Taliban, despite engaging with other controversial regimes like North Korea and Iran. Currently, a diplomat from the former Ghani government represents Afghanistan at the UN, lobbying against Taliban representatives.
The UN has attempted to balance competing demands, inviting Afghan offices, the UN Support Mission (UNAMA), and Taliban representatives to various events. While maintaining the diplomat from the former government, the UN Security Council has approved staff working in “close consultations with all relevant Afghan political actors” without excluding the Taliban.
In a notable instance, the UN included Taliban officials in the recent COP29 environmental conference, where a Taliban representative argued for their need to participate based on Afghanistan’s vulnerability to climate change.
“We were able to attend this year and advocate for our country’s needs,” he explained.
UNAMA is exploring a “mosaic” approach to its relationship with the Taliban, nearly four years since establishing a significant presence in Afghanistan. This plan has drawn criticism from former Afghan UN representatives and human rights advocates, who warn it could lead to lifting sanctions against the Taliban and accessing frozen Afghan assets.
The framework seems aimed at facilitating concessions and normalizing relations, yet poses concerns, as the director of Afghanistan’s UN mission cautioned against its lack of meaningful changes regarding transparency, enforcement, and the political situation in the country.
It’s uncertain how the Afghan population is grappling with the strict imposition of fundamentalist Sharia laws. Amid extensive combat experience and the acquisition of advanced US weaponry after the abrupt withdrawal of US troops, the Taliban also receives support from China and Iran. There have been no reports indicating significant opposition to the Taliban’s rule in Afghanistan.
