KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Pakistan’s objection to India’s inclusion has stalled efforts by the UN to establish a regional contact group on Afghanistan.
The Express Tribune, a Pakistani media outlet, reported that Islamabad’s resistance to New Delhi’s inclusion in the regional contact group stems from its longstanding concerns that India undermines “stability in Afghanistan”, a euphemism for Pakistan’s regional interests.
The proposal for the establishment of the regional contact group on Afghanistan was put forward by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in February, following a two-day UN-hosted conference of special envoys on Afghanistan in Doha, Qatar.
Despite being invited by the UN, the unrecognized Taliban regime in Afghanistan refused to attend the conference after its demands to be recognized as the “sole official representative of Afghanistan” and to hold talks with the UN Secretary-General were rejected.
After two rounds of deliberations, the UN chief said that he would initiate consultations for the appointment of a UN special envoy for Afghanistan. This recommendation, as proposed by the UN Special Coordinator and endorsed by the UN Security Council last year, aims to facilitate interactions with the Taliban and the international community.
The Taliban criticized the UN proposal as “unnecessary and unacceptable,” claiming that they are capable of managing Afghanistan’s internal affairs.
Concurrently, the UN secretary-general proposed the establishment of a regional contact group specifically focused on Afghanistan.
The contact group, envisioned to include Afghanistan’s immediate neighbors and other relevant stakeholders, was part of broader UN efforts to enhance coordination in dealing with the Taliban-led government.
The Pakistani media quoted its source as saying that progress on the proposal has stalled due to a lack of consensus on which countries should be part of the regional group. “The proposal appears to be a non-starter,” the source said.
A similar effort led by the UN and the United States during the peace talks between the former government and the Taliban also failed because key stakeholders could not agree on the participating nations.
Historically, Pakistan and India have regarded each other’s roles in Afghanistan with suspicion. Pakistan’s relationship with the Taliban remains strained due to the issue of Tahreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, which shares ideological and personal alignment with the Taliban and recently killed dozens of Pakistani security forces and civilians.
On the other hand, despite India closing its embassy and consulates in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover of the country in August 2021, the country has intensified its engagement with the Taliban in recent months.
Last month, the country’s delegation held meetings with Taliban officials, including the regime’s foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, in Kabul.
The Taliban foreign ministry said that the discussions encompassed economic, trade, and transit matters, along with visa-related issues. However, Indian media reports suggest India’s intention to open its consulate in Kandahar, where the regime’s supreme leader resides, a move that Islamabad has consistently opposed in the past, citing concerns of espionage and support for the Baluch insurgency within Pakistan.
According to Pakistani media reports, a UN delegation is set to visit Kabul soon as a follow-up to the Doha conference. Their objective is to encourage the Taliban government to fulfill its international commitments and to convey the adverse consequences of its hardline stance.
“Sources warn that the lack of international recognition for the Taliban administration would diminish humanitarian aid for Afghanistan, further exacerbating the plight of ordinary Afghans,” the report said.
