The Taliban seized control of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, doing so by force, not election, consensus or negotiation.
To mark this unwelcome anniversary, Scottish charity Glasgow Afghan United has urged the UK Government to support the people of Afghanistan and oppose legitimacy for the Taliban.
In a letter to Foreign Secretary David Lammy, we say: “The terror group’s rule is illegitimate and anti-democratic. It has seen the systematic dismantling of human rights and the rule of law in Afghanistan,the reinstatement of a brutal gender apartheid, the forced displacement and persecution of ethnic groups, and the impoverishment of millions of people. It is no exaggeration to say that the resurgence of the Taliban has been a catastrophe for Afghanistan and its people, who are now denied free speech, free media, freedom of religion and, for women, all basic rights and freedoms including education, employment, sports, dress and more.
“The repression women and girls now live under is so heinous that they may not even be seen through a window or be heard laughing. UN Women has said there is a ‘deliberate and unprecedented assault on the rights, freedoms, and dignity of Afghan women and girls’, with women ‘pushed out of nearly every sphere of life’ and ‘falling behind dramatically behind benchmarks for human development’.
“These acts have been documented by respected agencies such as the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), which has documented the torture and arbitrary arrests of forced returnees from Pakistan and Iran; Amnesty International, which has reported on gender-based violence; Unesco, which has detailed the destruction of the education system and the exclusion of women and girls; the Norwegian Refugee Council, which gathered photographic evidence of forced displacement; and Unicef, which has exposed the acute malnutrition crisis now affecting women and children.
“UNAMA has said that under the Taliban: ‘The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan remains precarious, with high rates of poverty impacting the realisation of economic, social and cultural rights of the entire population, including their access to decent work, adequate housing, healthcare and food security. Women and girls face specific barriers to the realisation of their rights as a result of the policies adopted by the de facto authorities’.
“In the recent report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), it is said that Taliban-held Afghanistan provides a safe haven for major terrorist groups including Al-Qaeda and ISIS-Khorasan, contrary to the commitments of the Doha Agreement, which creates an ongoing threat to international security.
“Here in the UK, the situation is a source of deep concern for the Afghanistani community, which continues in its solidarity with the people of Afghanistan and in its opposition to the Taliban. As we mark four years since the fall of Afghanistan, and as a registered charity with a mandate to raise the voice of the Scottish Afghanistani community and promote human rights and the rule of law, Glasgow Afghan United urges the UK Government to resist any and all actions which may be seen to legitimise a regime that is effectively holding an entire population hostage.
“We additionally ask that the UK Government makes representations to international partners that isolate the Taliban and limit its ability to further harm the diverse peoples of Afghanistan. The UK Government can take concrete action by adopting key policy positions to support this and asking other members of the international community to do the same.”
Our asks are as follows:
1. No Legitimacy: Resist and refuse any and all actions which would have the effect of lending legitimacy to the Taliban. This includes handing over embassies, platforming officials, etc. Encourage international partners to take the same stance to demonstrate clear and concerted opposition to this regime in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan. Support the International Criminal Court (ICC) in its pursuit of legal action against Taliban leaders for the persecution of women and girls.
2. Transitional Path: Advocate for a coordinated international strategy to establish a roadmap toward a peaceful political transition in Afghanistan, including the formation of a transitional government that represents all Afghanistani citizens.
3. Civil and Political Movements: Encourage collaboration among Afghanistan’s political parties, civil society organisations in exile, women-led movements, and diaspora networks under a unified platform which presents a viable, democratic and inclusive alternative to Taliban rule.
4. Political Pressure: Apply consistent and coordinated political pressure on the Taliban to compel meaningful dialogue and reconciliation. Any engagement with the Taliban must be rooted in international legal and moral standards, making it clear that they are accountable to the Afghanistani people and the international community. Encourage UNGA action to freeze Afghanistan’s UN seat until a representative government emerges.
5. Engagement with All Stakeholders: Ensure any international involvement in Afghanistan includes opposition groups, human rights defenders, civil society organisations and women’s organisations to prevent exclusion and provide more comprehensive insight.
6. Sanctions and Compliance Mechanisms: Strengthen and enforce international sanctions against the Taliban. Establish compliance mechanisms to ensure regional and global adherence to these sanctions, thereby isolating extremist actors and pressuring them toward compromise.
7. International aid: Carry out a comprehensive review of UK aid to Afghanistan to establish whether or not this is reaching the people most in need and prevent the Taliban from using it to further enrich the regime or to further pursue the prioritisation of the Pashtun group, to the detriment of Afghanistan’s other ethnic groups.
8. Humanitarian corridors: Establish safe humanitarian corridors via neutral NGOs, the IRCR or the UN to support the delivery of food and healthcare without Taliban control. Operate safe and legal routes for dissidents and others facing persecution and violence by the Taliban.
No country other than outlier Russia has formally recognised the Taliban since its 2021 return. The international community has previously restricted diplomatic engagement with regimes like that of Myanmar’s military junta, Gaddafi’s regime in Libya and the South
African government under apartheid. These choices prevented oppressive forces from gaining the international legitimacy which could have seen them further gain influence, power and wealth at the expense of the people. This same strategy should now be adopted with the Taliban.
Managing director Abdul Bostani said: “We are cognisant of the challenging conditions in the international community today and the gravely worrying crises in Gaza and Ukraine, where need for humanitarian and political intervention is urgent due to profound suffering and risk to life. It is right and proper that the UK Government devotes concerted attention to these situations. However, we ask that the government also considers the situation of Afghanistan worthy of both consideration and action and take steps on this at the earliest opportunity.”