The UN-sponsored talks on Afghanistan to be held in Doha, Qatar on June 30 and July 1 will be crucial because the Afghan Taliban government has been formally invited in the parleys, unlike in the earlier two rounds, to become part of dialogue to explore strategies for peace and stability in that war-torn country.

The talks on Afghanistan initiated by Secretary General Antonio Guterres in May 2023 in Doha were not attended by the Afghan Taliban. They had expressed reservations for not being invited to the first round of talks which prompted them to boycott the second round. The participation of Afghan civil society groups provoked the Taliban to boycott Doha talks. Now, Afghan civil society groups have announced their boycott of Doha talks criticising the UN for inviting the Taliban regime. The Afghan Taliban decided to attend the third round of Doha talks because of the dividends they expect to achieve.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid made it clear that “a delegation of the Islamic Emirate will represent Afghanistan there and express Afghanistan’s position. The talks’ agenda appeared beneficial to Afghanistan because it includes topics such as aid for Afghanistan and creating opportunities for investors which are important.” If the temptation on the part of Taliban regime is to use Doha talks for economic benefits while ignoring massive human rights violations and an exclusive mode of governance, they may be mistaken. Human Rights Watch’s Associate Women Rights Director Heather Barr while talking to AFP lamented that “the world must provide platforms for the people and women........

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