Senior British official meets with Taliban representatives in Afghanistan

A group of British officials have traveled to Kabul to meet and discuss with representatives of the Taliban government in Afghanistan. The stated purpose of the trip is to “advance the fight against terrorism and improve the educational and working conditions of girls and women in Afghanistan.”

Kabul hosted a group of senior British representatives led by Simon Gass, the British special envoy for Afghanistan. This is the first round of formal talks with Taliban officials since the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan. The Taliban government is seeking to reduce its political isolation by expanding international relations.

On Tuesday, October 5th, the AFP news agency published a report from Kabul on the meeting and negotiations between senior representatives of the British government and officials of the Taliban government.

The Taliban government faces serious economic challenges. After 20 years of dependence on foreign financial assistance, including humanitarian aid, this aid has now largely stopped.

It appears that financial institutions currently providing financial assistance to Afghanistan are reluctant to continue doing so, and no emergency plan has been foreseen to meet Afghanistan's financial needs.

This comes as the Taliban have appealed to foreign countries to continue providing financial assistance. It is said that many government employees, including those working in the health sector, have not received their salaries for several months.

British officials in Kabul

Taliban officials have released images of the first meeting of Simon Gass, the British special envoy for Afghanistan, with Abdul Ghani Baradar and Abdul Salam Hanafi, one of the Taliban's deputy prime ministers, in Kabul.

One of the achievements of the British team's trip to Kabul was the release of Ben Slater, a former British Army soldier who was arrested by Taliban forces on the Afghan-Pakistani border last month while trying to evacuate some Afghan refugees from the country.

Now he has managed to leave Kabul with the British team. On the other hand, the two sides present in these talks have emphasized the cooperation of the two countries in the fight against terrorism and also in dealing with the social crises in that country.

Britain is said to have raised the issue of the departure of Afghan citizens who wish to leave Afghanistan in a meeting with Taliban officials.

Two other issues, one related to the rights of Afghan women and girls and the other related to the Taliban's treatment of other minorities in that country, have also been discussed in talks between British officials and the Taliban.

AFP also reported the presence of Martin Langdon, the British representative for Afghanistan, in Simon Gass' meeting with Taliban officials.

Taliban's attempt to end isolation

Abdul Qahar Balkhi, spokesman for the Taliban's Foreign Ministry, also said that the issue of resuming diplomatic relations with that country was also raised in the talks between government officials and British representatives.

This is despite British officials saying that their meeting with Taliban officials does not mean recognizing the legitimacy of the Taliban government.

They stressed that the purpose of the visit and meeting was to keep the channel of contact with Taliban officials open. A senior British official said: “We have a realistic approach to the situation in Afghanistan. The fact that we can enter and leave Afghanistan without risk is a positive phenomenon.”

He also emphasized that the purpose of this meeting was to ensure traffic security, humanitarian cooperation, and also to combat terrorism.

Western countries want to establish an inclusive government in Afghanistan. They have also called on Taliban officials to respect human rights, especially women's rights.

Trying to break out of isolation

The Taliban have also implemented several policies in line with their commitment to international responsibilities to attract favorable views from other countries.

This is while the Taliban continue to insist on their government's return to an extremist interpretation of Islamic law. In recent weeks, the Taliban have taken steps that have raised international concerns, including the hanging of three people in Herat.

On the other hand, 50 days after seizing power, the Taliban have taken steps to reduce the scope of international criticism. For example, they have announced the return of a number of women to their jobs.

Qari Sayed Khosti, spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Interior, told an AFP reporter that the Taliban have called employees of the passport issuing department, including women working in this department, to return to their jobs.

The Taliban are said to have resumed issuing passports to citizens after a hiatus.

Issuing passports with Taliban symbols and insignia

It has also been reported that girls in one of the northern provinces of Afghanistan have returned to their schools to continue their high school education, while in most of the country, high school education for girls is still prohibited.

A video released by Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen shows female students returning to school wearing hijabs, including black clothing, and waving Taliban flags in their hands.

This is despite the fact that according to the Taliban Ministry of Education, girls are still banned from attending high school. The Taliban claim that once the girls' safety is guaranteed, they can return to school to continue their education in accordance with Islamic law.

The German news agency also reported on the return of a number of women to the passport office. These female employees are responsible for processing women's biometric information in the office.

Although passports are still issued under the country's former official title, the "Islamic Republic of Afghanistan," the Taliban government intends to soon issue new passports that align with its government's policies and symbols.

It is said that after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, 170,000 people in the country have requested passports and leave the country.

The German news agency quoted the country's new passport office head as saying that passports have been issued to 25,000 people so far.

Source: DW