Kabul: Nearly two years after the Islamist Taliban swept to power in Kabul, the foreign ministers of India, Russia, and Pakistan called for a representative government in Afghanistan and the protection of women's rights on Friday.
They were speaking during a day-long gathering of foreign ministers from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the Goa coastal resort state of India, just before a gathering of the foreign ministers of Pakistan, China, and Afghanistan scheduled for the following weekend in Pakistan.
"The focus of our attention is still on the developing situation in Afghanistan. The welfare of the Afghan people should be the focus of our efforts, according to Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
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Assuring a truly inclusive and representative government, preventing terrorism and drug trafficking, and upholding the rights of women, children, and minorities are our immediate priorities, he said.
After a 20-year insurgency against US-led forces, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021 with a speed and ease that shocked the world. As a result, President Ashraf Ghani fled the country. No nation has recognised the Taliban.
The Taliban leadership was expected by Russia, according to Sergei Lavrov, to "deliver on their promises to come up with an inclusive government."
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We are monitoring the assurances that were made regarding human rights, security on Afghan soil, the elimination of terrorist threats, and drug trafficking, Lavrov said. According to Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari of Pakistan, the situation in Afghanistan presents both new opportunities and challenges.
"We owe it to the people of Afghanistan to not repeat the mistakes of the past," he said. "After being the playground for great powers, time and time again," "The international community as a whole must continue to press the Afghan government to adopt universally recognised political inclusivity principles and to respect the rights of all Afghans, including the right of girls to education."
As Afghanistan struggles under Taliban rule with its economy and humanitarian crises, worries about the stability of the country are growing.
This week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a severe warning about the lack of financial contributions for this year's humanitarian appeal, which is only just over 6 percent funded and falls far short of the $4.6 billion requested for a nation where the majority of the population lives in poverty.
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The Taliban have tightened restrictions on women's participation in public life, prohibiting them from attending universities and closing girls' high schools, among other measures.
As a counterbalance to Western influence in Eurasia, the SCO is a political and security union of nations spanning much of the continent, including China, India, Pakistan, and Russia.
The inclusion of Iran and Belarus in the group will likely be finalised at the Goa meeting. Additionally, it will lay the groundwork for the SCO summit, which is scheduled to take place in India in July and is anticipated to be attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin