Participating In Doha Meeting To Discuss & Resolve Issues, Says Taliban Spokesperson

Recently, the Taliban selected Zabihullah Mujahid, the main spokesperson for their government, to attend the third Doha meeting instead of Muttaqi.

Despite the extensive structure of the Taliban's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which includes not only the minister, but also political and administrative deputies and numerous directors, Mujahid's delegation to Doha is significant.

According to these sources, Mujahid's power is increasing over time, and his office has been relocated to Kandahar.

The sources say that Zabihullah Mujahid is one of Hibatullah’s closest and most loyal associates. He is the only official who moved to Kandahar after the "Taliban's political capital" was changed.

The United Nations delegation is led by the Under-Secretary-General, and many within the organisation do not see Mujahid's assignment as any less significant than Muttaqi’s.

Mujahid holds a position more important than just being the spokesperson in the Taliban regime. Sources indicate that his authority and influence within the Taliban regime exceed those of many of the group's cabinet ministers.

His introduction as the head of the Taliban's negotiating team in the third Doha meeting also signifies Hibatullah's trust in him.

By bypassing the Taliban's diplomatic apparatus, Hibatullah has appointed Mujahid to negotiate with the United Nations and representatives of world countries in Doha.

Taliban spokesperson’s recent statements on the group’s foreign issues demonstrate that he is playing the role of the Taliban’s foreign minister, far beyond that of a spokesperson.

Additionally, in recent days, Mujahid has spoken about the group's foreign relations in his role as the head of the Taliban’s diplomatic apparatus. Recently, in an interview with Tolo News, he expressed appreciation for the Chinese president's remarks on relations with Afghanistan and said that the group's relationship with China is in a very good position.

He also spoke on behalf of the Taliban's diplomatic apparatus regarding elections in Iran, stating that the Taliban and Iran are seeking to expand relations in diplomatic and economic fields and hope that Iran’s future government will continue on the previously outlined path.

However, it remains unclear how far the strained relations between Hibatullah and Muttaqi will go and how much more political and administrative significance Mujahid will gain.

The commission urged the UN to support Afghanistan's democratic institutions instead of the "unelected" Taliban regime.

This body expressed concern over the UN's decision to engage with the Taliban in the third round of the Doha meetings.

On Friday, June 28, the Express Tribune reported that Munizae Jahangir, co-chairperson of the Pakistan Human Rights Commission, in a letter to the UN Security Council, requested a review of the UN's decision to engage with the Taliban.

Jahangir urged the UN to reconsider its decision to engage with the Taliban until they end gender apartheid in Afghanistan and commit to upholding human rights.

The official from the Pakistan Human Rights Commission stated that instead of moving towards legitimising the "unelected Taliban regime," the UN should support democratic elements in Afghanistan.

She declared that after the Taliban came to power and institutionalised policies of discrimination and violence against women in Afghanistan, the Pakistani Taliban and extremist clerics in the country have been emboldened to violate women's rights.

Asif stated that international laws must be strictly enforced at Pakistan's borders with Afghanistan.

The Pakistani official said that this decision was made to prevent the entry of terrorism and smuggled goods from Afghanistan.

In an interview with Pakistani media outlet Geo News, the Defense Minister referred to ending the longstanding practice of visa-free travel at the two countries' borders, saying, "All crossings at Pakistan's borders with Afghanistan will only be allowed with valid passports and visas."

The Defense Minister of Pakistan also mentioned that they must ensure the security of their country and that these border crossings have jeopardised it.

These remarks from a senior Pakistani security official come amidst tense border relations between the two countries since the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan. In recent months, Pakistani border guards and the Taliban have exchanged fire several times.

Asif also acknowledged in this interview that terrorist attacks in Pakistan surged after the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan. He added that currently, terrorism originates from Afghan soil.

Moreover, Pakistani officials have repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban of sheltering Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Afghanistan, following a rise in terrorist attacks in Pakistan.

During the interim government of Anwar ul Haq Kakar, Pakistan announced that the process of allowing Afghans to enter the country without passports and visas would be ended and replaced with border regulations consistent with those of other countries.

The Pakistani government implemented its decision from November 1; a decision that sparked widespread protests in the Chaman area of Baluchistan.

According to the new decision by the Pakistani government, from November 1 onward, the "one document regime" will be enforced at all border crossings with Afghanistan.

The new decision by the Pakistani government marks the end of an era when travellers could cross the border with old documents such as those agreed upon during British India, national identity cards, and Tazkira (Afghan national ID).

Following this decision, hundreds of people in Pakistan held sit-ins for weeks in protest against the government's recent decision to ban the movement of migrants without passports and visas across the border.

Khorasani stated, "This is not an Islamic Emirate, but rather an ethnic Emirate of the Kandahari and Zadran tribes."

According to him, the Taliban do not value people, especially women, "even as much as an animal”.

In a message sent to Afghanistan International on Friday, Khorasani added that the Taliban leadership lacks a fair perspective and that "power is monopolised by a specific circle."

He claims that Taliban officials deceive the public through the media and secretly mock the people, looking at them "with contempt”.

Khorasani described the Taliban's behaviour as "foolish" and said that continuing this trend will lead to the destruction of the "Emirate of Pashtuns”.

He justified his remarks by stating that he has personally witnessed the Taliban's behaviour.

Khorasani believes that the presence of Tajik and Uzbek Taliban representatives, including Qari Fasihuddin, is "symbolic" and that they "lack authority”.

This disgruntled Tajik-origin Taliban commander claimed that, according to his information, Qari Fasihuddin, the Taliban’s chief of staff, is forbidden to leave the country, and his orders are not enforceable in the Ministry of Defense.

According to him, what the Taliban preach "is not Islam but the ignorance of a group of ignorant Pashtun tribesmen”.

This is not the first time Abdul Hamid Khorasani has accused the Taliban of ethnic favouritism and harshly criticised the group.

In June 2023, he had said, "I am humiliated and insulted more under the Taliban's rule than I was under the previous government."

So far, Taliban officials have not responded to Khorasani's statements.

Jalali wrote on X social media platform that regional countries are advocating for the removal of banking sanctions on the Taliban.

On Friday, he wrote that it has been anticipated that discussions at the Doha meeting will focus on the "removal of unilateral and illegal sanctions”.

This Taliban official highlighted that the financial and banking sanctions have hindered trade development between Afghanistan and the region.

He views the third Doha meeting on Afghanistan as an opportunity for dialogue between the Taliban and Western countries regarding these sanctions.

Jalali noted that regional and trans-regional meetings have seen countries calling for the lifting of banking sanctions against Afghanistan. While he did not specify which countries, it appears he is referring to Russia, China, Uzbekistan, and Iran, which have previously urged the release of Afghanistan's frozen assets.

Addressing the widespread protests demanding the Taliban's exclusion from the Doha meeting, Jalali suggested that the West does not want to fall behind other players in engaging with the Taliban. He mentioned that understanding between the Taliban and regional countries is growing.

The Taliban's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that Zabihullah Mujahid, the group's spokesperson, will lead the Taliban delegation at the third Doha meeting.