The Islamist government of Pakistan, through its envoy at the United Nations, claimed this weekend it was ready to recognize the Taliban jihadist organization as the government of Afghanistan “when there’s a consensus” globally that the Taliban is legitimate.
The Taliban is a jihadist terrorist organization that previously ruled Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001, when America invaded the country in response to the September 11 attacks that year. A U.S.-supported government ruled the country between 2001 and August, when the Taliban seized control of the country once again shortly after President Joe Biden extended, then abruptly ended, America’s military presence in Afghanistan.
No state actor has recognized the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan at press time, despite no material claims from any other entity claiming to be the government of the country. The former president of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, fled the country shortly after the Taliban arrived in Kabul, reportedly stuffing a helicopter so full of cash it barely fit and heading to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Ghani has since claimed that he did not take state money and did not intend to flee the country, but has not claimed to be the president of the country in any meaningful way.
Pakistani envoy to the U.N. Munir Akram said Pakistan was ready to recognize the Taliban as a legitimate government, and work with Pakistan’s neighbor, in the event that sufficient “consensus” forms globally, the Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported on Saturday.
“We will do it (recognition) when there’s a consensus, especially among regional countries,” Akram reportedly said.
Afghans walk along fences as they arrive in Pakistan through the Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing point in Chaman on August 24, 2021 following Taliban’s military takeover of Afghanistan. (AFP via Getty Images)
The head of Pakistan’s government, Prime Minister Imran Khan, has referred to the head of al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, as a “martyr.”
“We sided with the U.S. in the War on Terror but they came here and killed him, martyred him and … used abusive language against us (and) did not inform us (of the raid), despite the fact that we lost 70,000 people in the war on terror,” he complained in 2020. Bin Laden hid in Pakistan for years after al-Qaeda executed the September 11 attacks.
Khan has also insisted since long before the Taliban took over the country in August that any Afghan government must have a Taliban component to be legitimate.
The issue of recognizing the Taliban arose at the United Nations last week when the Security Council voted to cooperate with the Taliban to distribute aid in the country without formally accepting the Taliban as a government. The Security Council passed a resolution that granted the U.N. mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) a renewed mandate to operate in the country, including “close consultation with all relevant Afghan political actors and stakeholders, including relevant authorities as needed.” The resolution did not name the “relevant authorities” or “Afghan political actors.” The only Security Council member to vote against the resolution was Russia, which abstained on the grounds that the resolution did not call for sufficient “substantive cooperation” with the Taliban directly.
While no country has officially accepted the Taliban as a government – and the United Nations has not allowed a Taliban delegation to come to New York and represent Afghanistan – multiple neighboring countries have used deliberate language that affords the Taliban some modified recognition as the political leaders of the country. During talks in October, representatives of the governments of Iran and China, both of which border Afghanistan, referred to the Taliban as an “interim” or “caretaker” government, suggesting that Afghanistan would soon transition to a more longstanding government structure.
In this photo released by the Foreign Office, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, center, receives members of Taliban delegation at the Foreign Office in Islamabad, Pakistan, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2019. (Pakistan Foreign Office via AP)
“State Councilor Wang Yi also had contact with Acting Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi of the Afghan Taliban’s interim government in Qatar,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at the time.
Taliban officials have insisted since seizing Kabul in August that the world must accept them as the true government of Afghanistan, as no alternative exists and they have demonstrated the capacity to run a state political structure.
“In order to recognize a government, there is a need for border, people, and security. Since we have all of these, we have fulfilled the requirements to be recognized,” Taliban Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi told Turkey’s TRT World news network this weekend.
Muttaqi reportedly also insisted that legitimizing the Taliban was necessary to allow Afghanistan to have a functional economy, which would free it from the sort of international aid the U.N. approved last week.
“If we want Afghanistan to be self-sufficient, on top of humanitarian aid we need development aid that creates employment and jobs,” Muttaqi was quoted as saying.
Taliban officials have insisted since August that all countries, including America, should establish diplomatic ties with it.
“We want all countries in the world, including the United States, to recognize us,” spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said during one of his first press conferences following the Taliban’s arrival of Kabul. “We are part of the world. We assure you that the soil of Afghanistan will not be used against any country or anyone.”
The Biden administration has not moved to recognize the Taliban as the Afghan government and has reportedly opposed other countries doing so. It has also moved to prevent organizations like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) from granting the Taliban access to Afghan government funds.