ISLAMABAD: The absence of any representatives from the Taliban government at a rare Afghan dialogue in Islamabad this week sparked debate over the intent of the gathering, but Pakistani officials insist the meeting was not designed to sideline Kabul but to build “people-to-people” engagement beyond official channels.
The two-day regional conference, titled “Towards Unity and Trust” and jointly organized by Women for Afghanistan (WFA) and the Islamabad-based South Asian Strategic Stability Institute (SASSI) University, brought together former Afghan lawmakers, civil society figures, academics and women’s rights defenders.
But the exclusion of the Taliban administration has drawn scrutiny among Pakistani observers and on social media, particularly given SASSI’s reputation as a pro-state institution and the fact that many of the Afghan participants live in exile abroad.
It was unclear if the Taliban were invited to join the forum but Pakistani officials and conference organizers rejected the suggestion that the dialogue was intended to isolate Kabul, saying Islamabad continued to maintain ties with the Taliban government while engaging with other Afghan factions.
“We are engaging with all Afghan factions while maintaining good relations with the current regime,” Rana Ihsaan Afzal Khan, Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Commerce, told Arab News, pointing to growing trade and Taliban participation in a recent trilateral CPEC meeting.
Organizers described the conference as an initial step toward building trust and understanding between the people of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“The objectives are very clear, Pakistan believes that true engagement will only be possible if it is based on people-to-people contact,” SASSI University chairperson Maria Sultan told Arab News.
“The aim is to enhance trust and unity and most importantly to build bridges. So, this is the first step toward starting the Islamabad process.”
Asked about the use of Afghanistan’s pre-Taliban national flag at the event, which is banned by the current Kabul regime, Sultan said it should not be interpreted as a hostile gesture.
“The day Pakistan recognizes the government in Afghanistan and that flag is recognized at the UN, it will be presented as such,” she explained.
“PAKISTAN SHOULD HOLD OUT HAND”
Pakistan has continued to engage the Taliban administration diplomatically despite rising tensions over cross-border militancy. Since the group’s return to power in August 2021, Islamabad has kept its embassy open in Kabul and hosted multiple high-level delegations, including interim Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
The two sides have also held a series of trilateral meetings with China focused on expanding the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) into Afghanistan and enhancing regional trade connectivity.
Pakistani officials have repeatedly said they seek a “pragmatic relationship” with the Taliban authorities based on economic cooperation, counterterrorism and border security, even as they press Kabul to act against militants targeting Pakistan from Afghan territory. The Taliban government denies it supports insurgent groups.
While Pakistani officials framed the conference as inclusive, Afghan participants used the platform to sharply criticize the Taliban government.
“People are waiting for change. The Taliban will not last in Afghanistan,” former Afghan lawmaker Paiman Agha said, adding that the Islamabad dialogue was intended to foster “complete understanding” between Afghans and Pakistanis.
Alia Yulmaz, an Afghan academic based in Türkiye, described the conference as “the most important gathering between people of Afghanistan and Pakistan.”
Other participants used the platform to speak out against the Taliban’s restrictions on women’s rights and public freedoms.
Since seizing power, the Taliban have imposed sweeping curbs on women’s lives, banning girls from secondary and higher education, barring women from most government and NGO jobs and enforcing strict dress codes and movement restrictions without a male guardian.
Women are also prohibited from visiting parks, gyms, and public spaces in many provinces, and in December 2022, the Taliban banned female students from universities altogether.
The United Nations and international rights groups have described these policies as “gender apartheid,” while the Taliban defend them as being in line with their interpretation of Islamic law.
“It is forbidden for Afghan women to go to university, to school, even to a pharmacy,” women’s rights defender Rahil Talash told Arab News.
“For this, what we have to do is Pakistan should hold our hands and call this disease in Afghanistan a disease because it is spreading everywhere. So, this bad disease should be eradicated from Afghanistan. So that Pakistan and Afghanistan can live in peace.”
Talash said the Taliban had shut down Internet services earlier this week, making life particularly difficult for women relying on online work. The United Nations mission in Afghanistan also urged the Taliban on Tuesday to restore Internet and telecom access.
The Islamabad dialogue comes at a sensitive moment in bilateral relations, with ties between Pakistan and the Taliban government strained over a surge in deadly cross-border attacks that Islamabad blames mostly on the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which operates from Afghan soil.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif bluntly urged Kabul to “choose between Pakistan and TTP.”
Analysts downplayed concerns that the talks would harm Islamabad’s relations with the Taliban government.
“I doubt that this will have any adverse implications on our relationship with Afghanistan,” said defense analyst Maj. Gen. (R) Inam Ul Haque.
“Because Pakistan as a sovereign country has the right to pursue relationship with any party. And when they [Taliban were in the opposition and these guys were in the government Pakistan was talking to both sides.”
Prominent Afghan figures attending the conference included Fawzia Koofi, former deputy speaker of parliament, Dr. Nasir Andisha, Afghanistan’s UN representative, Khan Aga Rezai, chair of the Afghan parliament’s National Security Committee, Mustafa Mastoor, former economy minister, and Feridun Iham of the National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan.
