IT seems that the clouds of isolation for the Afghan Taliban are now fading away. Prior to this, China’s informal recognition and now finally the UAE has extended formal recognition to the Taliban regime. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has been longing for a formal recognition from at least one country for a long time. Now, apparently, there is good news for them, and the ice seems to be melting down.
The current de jure Taliban government seems to be playing its cards wisely. They first extended an olive branch to Russia after the Chinese engagement. Moscow responded positively while engaging diplomatically with Kabul. However, there are miles to go, as the regime faces serious criticisms from most countries over various issues. At least, this offer from the UAE provides a sigh of relief to the Taliban regime. A week earlier, in a surprising development, the administration in Abu Dhabi accepted Badruddin Haqqani as the Ambassador of Afghanistan. This reminds one of the older days when the troika – Islamabad, Riyadh and the UAE – were the first to recognize the Taliban Government in Afghanistan back in 1996. However, at present, these countries seem to be hesitant.
Saudi Arabia has reservations with the Islamic Emirate over issues like women’s rights suppression, ideological extremism and modest operandi of governance. Similarly, Pakistan’s topmost difference is on security measures. The authorities in Islamabad believe that after the Taliban’s takeover, terrorist activities increased in the country, mainly due to illegal border infiltrations from Afghan land. Besides this, the Taliban’s non-cooperation in eliminating the TTP factor in Afghanistan also led to strained relations between the two Asian neighbours. The Pakistani Government has repeatedly asked the Emirate of Kabul to take action against the TTP leadership residing in Afghanistan’s territory.
However, the Taliban have shown reluctance in this matter so far. Further, border skirmishes and hostile relations have not allowed Pakistan to recognize them officially. One thing is pertinent to mention here: despite hostilities between Kabul and Islamabad, Pakistan cooperated in various domains, especially during their earlier days of takeover. Likewise, Iran too is hesitant in engaging with the Taliban officially but has established cordial relationships on the basis of neighbourliness. Almost, there is a similar response from other neighbouring countries of Central Asia.
—The writer is contributing columnist.
