The third meeting in the series of UN-led meetings concerning the interaction of the Taliban regime with the international community and its potential integration into the global system was held in Doha on 30th June and 1st July 2024, respectively. The conference, referred to as ‘Doha Talks III’ was attended by special representatives to Afghanistan including Pakistani and Indian diplomats. In addition, this marked the first time the Taliban regime interacted with the global world as a part of this conference, where they were not invited to the table in the first talk, held in May 2023, and boycotted the second, held in February 2024.

It is important to note the circumstances under which the Taliban regime was coaxed enough to engage with the international community on a diplomatic front.

The Taliban were clever enough to set up terms and conditions to attend and participate in the conference, among which one of the prominent conditions was no discussion on the human rights issues in Afghanistan, which encompasses the rights of women and young girls such as provision to education, freedom to work and access to the necessities of life.

It is also worth noting that the element of the security situation of Afghanistan was absent from the official agenda of the conference. The agenda of the conference primarily focused on the progress of anti-narcotics in the country, the discussion of alternatives to poppy cultivation, and very rarely, climate change, in context to the immeasurable damage natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes have caused the country in the last decade.

Apart from being a vocal critic of the Afghan regime for providing safe havens for terrorism, Pakistan flexed her diplomatic muscles on this very tour, where Pakistan’s special representative for the Afghan talks Asif Durrani, invited the chief Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid for a dinner at the Pakistan house, hosted on the sidelines of the main Doha talks. This dinner is ascribed to a wide spectrum of discussions focusing on building relations and easing tensions between the two neighbors. Tensions between the two states have been building highly at risk ever since the American withdrawal in late 2021 and Islamabad stipulating the option of cross-border strikes at TTP hideouts in the country following a resurgence in terrorism.

The Afghan delegation was assured of the fact that there was no issue between the neighbors, except that the TTP continues to carry out cross-border terrorism and seek safe havens on the other side of the Durand line and IS-KP, rendered as a common threat to both neighbors. Ambassador Durrani reassured the opening of new avenues in terms of trade and commerce for the country, and advocacy for the resolution financial crises in Afghanistan if these issues are curbed by the Taliban regime. On the prevailing stance of the Pakistani government against the TTP, pressurizing the Afghan regime, this diplomatic dining initiative promulgated in Qatar seems to ease the eyes from which both countries view each other and has the potential of transforming this dispute, from a destructive towards a more constructive and optimistic approach.

The issue of Afghan refugees remained of secondary importance, and the Ambassador urged the sponsor countries which were mainly Western to expedite their processes of granting the the Afghan citizenship as pledged.

However, the opportunity presented to Pakistan’s arch nemesis, in these UN-led meetings provided multiple opportunities to tighten the soft power grip the Modi regime has been spreading over the last 3 terms and ensure their economic investment. India has invested more than $3 Billion in Afghanistan over the period, which includes utility and transport projects, among which the construction of the Shahtoot dam is of extreme prominence because it will reduce the flow of the Kabul River in Pakistan Kautilian neighbors and economic concerns aside, India’s security concerns regarding influence in the region are also one of the reasons that prompted it to participate in the Doha talks, where it ensured the advocacy of human rights towards the Afghanistan regime.

Looking at it from a birds-eye view, 16 countries have established their embassies in Afghanistan, and the main problem that stops the countries from recognizing the Taliban regime is the inclusivity and human rights of the people, which has been labeled by human rights organizations as an absolute gender apartheid deducing primarily be one of the reasons why the funds for the government are not being unfrozen despite persistent advocacy from neighboring states.

For the Taliban however, this conference can be perceived as a constructive approach. Firstly, it was the first occasion on which they displayed their diplomatic intellect, and according to Western diplomats, they were diplomatically very mature which promised new avenues of cooperation for the states in the region.

The Doha Talks being in this constructive phase has the potential to shape the future of the entire region, as Afghanistan plays an effective role concerning peace and stability towards its neighbours.