Report: UN Approves Taliban FM Meeting With Pakistan, China

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Facts

  • Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s interim foreign minister, has reportedly received permission from a UN Security Council committee to travel from Afghanistan to Pakistan May 6-9 for meetings with his counterparts from Pakistan and China.1
  • This reportedly comes upon request from Pakistan’s UN mission — which will cover the cost of the trip — on Monday for a travel exemption for Muttaqi, who is under UN Security Council sanctions, including a travel ban, asset freeze, and arms embargo.2
  • Although a meeting agenda wasn’t divulged, China and Pakistan have each said they would consider allowing Taliban-led Afghanistan to be part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a multibillion-dollar infrastructure project.3
  • Last month, the UN Security Council allowed Muttaqi to travel to Uzbekistan, where he met with neighboring foreign ministers to discuss peace and security.2
  • The exemption comes alongside a two-day Security Council committee meeting that started on Monday in Doha, Qatar, where UN special envoys on Afghanistan from nearly two dozen nations have gathered to discuss how to engage with the Taliban.2
  • The Taliban retook power in Afghanistan in August 2021, as US forces withdrew after 20 years. The international community hasn't recognized the Taliban government on the basis of alleged human rights violations.2

Sources: 1Al Jazeera, 2Reuters, and 3News18.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Bloomberg. The world must present a united front and isolate the Taliban until they make the crucial reforms necessary to be considered an equal partner with the rest of the world. Allowing Taliban officials to travel and meet with counterparts abroad only drums up unfair anti-American sentiments and empowers the Taliban to never change their brutal ways.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by South China Morning Post. The only way to get the Taliban to reform and to aid in the fight against terrorism is to engage with their foreign ministers because they’re in charge in Afghanistan and won’t be going anywhere soon. While respecting the Taliban’s religion and customs, they can be urged to be more inclusive and progressive while also acting to make Asia a safer continent.

Predictions