India Calls Afghanistan’s Possible Inclusion in CPEC “Illegal and Unacceptable”

The conversation on economic stability of Afghanistan continues when there are differences between the Taliban and the US about access to the national reserve of the Central Bank of the country.

With winter approaching and Afghanistan's economic situation worsening, West urged the Taliban to improve the country's economic situation. This comment by West refers to the negotiations between the US and the Taliban regarding Afghanistan's access to frozen funds.

In a series of tweets about the Tashkent conference, West seemed positive about the Taliban's fight against the Islamic State-Khurasan (IS-K), but he also expressed concerns about the presence of Al-Qaeda, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and other terrorist groups in Afghanistan.

At the Tashkent meeting, several regional governments also expressed similar concerns about terrorist threats emanating from Afghanistan. These concerns seemed legitimate as in at least two cases, rocket attacks had been launched towards Uzbekistan and Tajikistan from Afghanistan and recently a new terrorist group of Tajik militias has been formed in northern Afghanistan.

As discussions were also focused on the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan during the Tashkent conference, West also expressed the US government's desire to "support the intra-Afghan dialogues”. Taliban has never expressed interest or taken any practical steps regarding this issue despite it being raised by stakeholders at the Tashkent conference.

During his speech at the international conference in Tashkent, Zamir Kabulov, spoke about the dire situation of the people of Afghanistan and said that the US has "robbed" Afghanistan by blocking its funds.

Kabulov said that in Afghanistan the average income of a person is less than a dollar per day and blocking the Afghanistan funds, which could be used for the growth of the country’s economy, is a "theft".

The Russian Special Envoy stressed that the government supported by the US and its allies in Afghanistan, which was in office for 20 years, was a government that was based on corruption.

He said that the senior officials of the previous government fled Afghanistan and the damages caused by the actions of that government should be compensated by the US and its allies.

Taliban’s foreign minister, who travelled to Uzbekistan to participate in an international conference on Afghanistan, visited the embassy of Afghanistan in Tashkent for the first time.

On August 15, 2021, Taliban took over Afghanistan and all the government infrastructure. Since then, no country has recognized the Taliban as a legitimate government in Afghanistan.

The Taliban has continuously tried to take efforts to take over the management of Afghanistan's embassies and political representations. So far, the group has only had luck with Islamabad, Tehran, and Moscow, to install Taliban representatives. Many countries in the world haven’t cooperated with the group.

Among other initiatives, the Taliban has sent official letters to Afghanistan embassies seeking their cooperation and support, however, most of these efforts have failed.

A number of Afghan diplomats told media personnel that they did not pay attention to the Taliban's letters and their request to hold online meetings. These diplomats have stressed that their work is to lobby for the formation of a democratic government based on elections in Afghanistan.

The US special representative for Afghanistan emphasised that the US and the Taliban have differences, but with winter approaching, the people of Afghanistan will face more problems. Hence, United States, as the largest donor of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, is ready to discuss with the Taliban the release of Afghan frozen funds, he stated.

Rina Amiri, the US Special Representative on Women and Human rights in Afghanistan, too, addressed the Tashkent conference. Amiri’s address was more focused on Afghan people's demand for education for girls, women's fundamental rights, and political stability.

The international meeting in Tashkent on Afghanistan started on Tuesday with a one-day delay.

Representatives of the United States, Russia, European Union, China, UK, India, Iran, Pakistan, and several other countries are participating in the Tashkent conference.

A delegation led by Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting minister of foreign affairs of the Taliban, also participated in this meeting. However, Uzbekistan said that the presence of the group’s delegates in this meeting does not mean the recognition of the Taliban regime.

The conference, set to be held till July 26, will see the US delegation seeking the international community to underscore their support for the Afghan people and will call on the Taliban to fulfil their commitments to the Afghan people and the international community.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tashkent said the main objective behind the event was to promote stability, security, and post-conflict reconstruction in Afghanistan. A statement from the ministry, said the conference was focused on Afghanistan’s integration into regional cooperation processes.

On July 27, US Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson, will join Special Representative West for a meeting with the Taliban to address the economic challenges faced by the Afghan people.

A Taliban delegation led by Amir Khan Muttaqi, acting foreign minister of the group, too left for Uzbekistan to participate in the Tashkent Summit. The Taliban delegation will lobby for more support from the participating countries of the summit. On the other hand, Central Asian countries are expected to share their national security concerns emanating from Afghanistan with the Taliban officials.