US delegation presses Taliban at Doha meeting on women’s rights

In a meeting with Afghan Taliban representatives in Doha, US officials criticised the deteriorating human rights situation in Afghanistan, particularly for women and girls.

US delegation presses Taliban at Doha: According to a State Department statement, the American delegation also voiced “deep concern” about the humanitarian catastrophe and the necessity of continuing to support aid organisations and UN agencies providing assistance.

One of the highest-ranking known gatherings of US and Afghan government representatives in recent months took place behind closed doors; the Washington delegation was led by Special Representative Thomas West, while the Kabul delegation was led by Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

However, the US statement did not give the Afghan representatives’ names, instead referring to them as “senior” and “technocratic professionals.”

The Afghan Foreign Ministry released a different statement late on Monday, mentioning Muttaqi along with members of the finance ministry and the central bank.

Without going into any detail, it mentioned that the meeting highlighted talks between the parties over lifting financial sanctions and restrictions, and it brought up human rights.

Since the Taliban seized control once again in August 2021, women’s rights have become a subject of contention in discussions about assistance and recognition.

Girls and women are not allowed to attend colleges or high schools, and the Taliban regime has also required them to cover up in public places like gyms, parks, and fairs.

“US Special Envoy Engages in Talks with the Taliban for Afghan Women’s Rights and Economic Stabilization”

Rina Amiri, the US Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights, said in a message on X, the platform that replaced Twitter, that she had received advice to “directly engage the Taliban.”

“We demanded the removal of restrictions on women and girls, including access to employment and education, the release of detainees, an end to corporal punishment, and crackdowns on media and freedom of expression,” she wrote.

The Afghan statement quoted Kabul as emphasizing once again the importance of removing blacklists and releasing the bank reserves to build trust. This would enable Afghans to develop their economy without relying on foreign aid.

According to the State Department, it would be willing to engage in “a technical dialogue regarding issues relating to economic stabilisation soon.”

The team also called for the restoration of consular services for Afghan nationals worldwide, according to the Afghan foreign ministry.

Representatives of the former administration, which still holds formal representation at the UN, staff many Afghan embassies, notably those in Pakistan, Turkey, and China, while the Taliban runs them.

According to the State Department, it recognised Kabul’s “continuing commitment” to prevent the use of Afghanistan as a base for attacks against the United States and its allies, noting “a decrease in large-scale terrorist attacks against Afghan civilians.”

Additionally, it noted that this growing season saw a “significant decrease in cultivation” of poppies.

Since assuming control, the Taliban government has outlawed growing the plant needed to produce opium.