Won't recognise Taliban govt that comes to power by force, say UNSC envoys

Tribune News Service

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New Delhi, August 6

The entire democratic bloc at the UN Security Council on Thursday spoke in one voice against recognising a Taliban government that comes to power by force, even as the militant group’s depredations continued in Afghanistan.

At the first UNSC discussion, being held under India’s Presidency, the Afghan envoy said the Taliban continue to enjoy safe havens in Pakistan. The envoys of UK, US, France, Ireland, Norway and Estonia called upon the Taliban to engage meaningfully and spoke against providing aid to the government that does not respect human rights.

India has been the first to say unequivocally a couple of months back that the legitimacy of a government that comes to power by forces in Kabul will be in doubt.

France called on the Taliban to end the violence and said they must be held accountable for their crimes and there can be no cloak of impunity surrounding violations of international human rights.

The sentiment in the ongoing discussion was that a negotiated settlement should guarantee inclusive governance, human rights protections, especially for women.

Many of these countries had their forces in Afghanistan for two decades but were unable to subdue the Taliban.

Special Representative of UN Deborah Lyons described Afghanistan as standing at a dangerous turning point. “In the past weeks, it has entered a new destructive phase. Taliban has achieved significant territorial gains,’’ she said while questioning Taliban’s commitment to a political settlement.

Just before the discussions began, word came of the Taliban assassinating the director of Afghanistan’s government media center, two days after an aborted attempt on the life of the Afghan acting defense minister.

The Taliban in a statement said Dawa Khan Menapal, who was spearheading Kabul’s media outreach against the militant group, “was killed in a special attack’’ by the mujahideen.

On Friday, news came of the Taliban on the brink of capturing Zaranj from where India has built a road to Iran for an alternate access to the sea for Afghanistan.