Political Currents and Women's Protest Movements: The Taliban Do Not Have the Right to Represent the Afghan People at the Doha Meeting

The third meeting of special representatives of countries on Afghanistan, hosted by the UN Secretary-General, is scheduled to take place in Doha, Qatar on June 30 and July 1.

UN Secretary-General's spokesman Stephane Dujarric has said the aim of the meeting is to "increase international engagement with Afghanistan in a more coherent, coordinated and structured manner."

However, some Afghan political parties, movements, and women's protest groups have issued a statement on Wednesday (June 5) outlining their position on the meeting and saying that "increasing international engagement with Afghanistan," even in a structured and coherent manner, is only meaningful if the will and interests of all people and ethnic groups are taken into account and political parties, political movements involved in the issues and women's protest movements are present at the meeting.

The statement said that any dialogue in the absence of the main representatives of the Afghan people under any name is in fact giving concessions to the Taliban.

The protesting political movements and women have emphasized in the statement that the cause of all suffering, the continuation of the Afghan crisis and the failure of the international community's mission is the Taliban's "inhuman thoughts and actions" and "any unilateral and behind-closed-door engagement with this group is tantamount to turning a blind eye to the will, human rights and all the suffering and hardships that the Afghan people have endured from this group for three decades."

The political movements and women added that the Taliban, in addition to "imposing suffering, misery, insecurity, arbitrary back-breaking taxes and devastation on the people and especially the women of Afghanistan, has turned the country into a safe haven for multinational terrorists."

According to these movements, the Afghan security crisis and the export of terrorism are among the critical issues that should be at the forefront of the agenda of the third Doha meeting.

The issuers of the statement said they welcomed the appointment of a UN special representative under the provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 2721, but on condition that his selection and mission be in full consultation with all domestic, regional and international stakeholders involved in the Afghan issue.

These movements have emphasized that the mission of the special representative should be the root solution of the crisis based on the human and fundamental rights of the Afghan people, and not on the path of forgetting the people's suffering in order to reach out to inflexible and naked terrorism.

Political parties, movements and women's protest groups have said in conclusion that they prioritize lasting peace through meaningful dialogue on behalf of the Afghan people, but in case of disappointment, they reserve "any action, including the right to armed struggle in self-defense of their people and land."

Hezbi Islami, Jamiat-e Islami, National Islamic Movement Party, Islamic Dawaht Party, United Party of the People of Afghanistan, Justice and Liberty Party, National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, Freedom Front and several other councils are among the issuers of the aforementioned statement.

Also, the Global Hazara Women's Movement, the Afghanistan  Women's Political Participation Network, the Bamyan Women's National Social Council, the Afghanistan Women for Peace and Equality Movement and the Empowered Women of Afghanistan Movement are among the women's protest movements that have supported this statement.