A group of Taliban opposition figures from Afghanistan gathered in Moscow on Thursday, November 23. The meeting was organized by the Just World Institute and aimed to discuss stability, establishing an inclusive political process to combat extremism and terrorism, promoting social and humanitarian development, and fostering international economic cooperation.
The conference, titled “Afghanistan between the Past and the Future: On the Path to Just Peace and Sustainable Development,” brought together various Afghan political figures, including Ahmad Massoud, the leader of an armed anti-Taliban group, the National Resistance Front (NRF) and Mohammad Mohaqiq, the leader of the People’s Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan. The Taliban diplomat in Moscow was also invited to the meeting, but they did not attend.
In his address at the meeting, Ahmad Massoud criticized the Taliban’s rule, asserting that their two years in power have transformed Afghanistan into a “Talibanistan.” Masoud once again lamented the Doha Agreement, calling it an exception in the long history of the Taliban’s disregard for agreements.
He cautioned against international recognition of the Taliban, hinting at the recent UN assessment that recommends a pathway for normalizing relationships with the regime in Kabul under certain conditions. Masoud called the document “incomplete” and “weak,” expressing concern that endorsing such an assessment could worsen the country’s already dire situation. Without considering the views of the Afghan people, he said, recognition would further destabilize the country.
The independent assessment, authored by Feridun Sinirlioglu in his capacity as UN special coordinator, presented to the UN Security Council, includes a set of recommendations that it claims could help better respond to the basic needs of Afghanistan’s population, increase regional cooperation on issues of mutual interest such as terrorism and narcotics, facilitate political dialogue among Afghans. The Taliban has welcomed some of the recommendations such as helping the country strengthen its economy, opening the pathway to the recognition of their government, and encouraging regional connectivity via Afghanistan. However, they rejected the proposal for an intra-Afghan dialogue and deemed the appointment of a UN special representative for Afghanistan as unacceptable.
The group’s spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, has said that fulfillment of any obligation under international law and conventions will be subject to their compliance with the Islamic principles and Sharia. The UN assessment calls on the group to act as a normal state party by respecting and observing AFghanistan’s obligations in the international system. Taliban, however, have used that condition of being Sharia-compliant in order to absolve itself of any responsibility against the country’s population and the outside world.
Massoud called for a referendum that could form a government based on the people’s will, a recommendation that neither the world nor the Taliban would be interested in.
Mohammad Mohaqiq, another prominent political figure during the republic’s government, criticized the worsening conditions under which Hazara and Shia communities live. They face two forms of discrimination, Mr. Mohaqiq said, ethnic and religious. The Hazara community lacks representation in the Taliban government and continues to be the target of explosions and mass killings of civilians under the guise of ISIS and foreign terrorists.
Fawzia Koofi, a former member of the Afghanistan parliament who negotiated with the Taliban in the failed Doha process, spoke out against the Taliban’s oppressive policies targeting women. She said that the power of civil resistance is a formidable force that can match the power of armed conflict, a message that could resonate with many external stakeholders who have repeatedly voiced their disinterest in working with or supporting armed opposition to the Taliban.
Not every participant was a full-fledged Taliban critic. The Iranian representative, although repeated his country’s concern about the lack of an inclusive government in Afghanistan, praised the Taliban’s efforts in combating the threats of ISIS. He said the expansion of such efforts could be a sign of the Taliban’s taking responsibility. The Taliban has for long used its enmity and rivalry with the affiliates of the Islamic State as a testament to its counter-terrorism stance, something the United States has also repeatedly praised. Critics however believe that the Taliban’s efforts to eradicate ISIS is a power competition since the regime has maintained and even bolstered its ties with Al-Qaeda and other regional terrorist groups.
Since 2017, Moscow has organized multiple conferences to expand its influence in Afghanistan. Some of these events in the past had participation from the Taliban, various non-Taliban groups, and representatives from the regional countries. The most recent gathering was the fifth round of the Moscow format talks on Afghanistan in which representatives of regional stakeholders met with the Taliban in Russia’s Kazan city.
Russia has maintained close relationships with the Taliban for years in a bid to push the United State’s military out of its sphere of influence in the broader Central Asia region. Yet, it has also constantly engaged the non-Taliban political forces, something that Moscow’s Western adversaries, despite their harshed ideological differences with the regime in Kabul, have most avoided since the Taliban’s return to power.
