London: The chairman of the UK Parliament's Defence Select Committee has come under fire from other Conservative lawmakers, a candidate for the Labour Party, and Afghan activists for advocating that British diplomats should work with the Taliban government in Afghanistan.
The UK should "rethink and reengage" with the Taliban, said MP Tobias Ellwood in a two-minute video posted on Twitter on Monday. He claimed the Taliban regime had brought about a peace "not seen since the 1970s."
He continued, the "first step" for the UK should be to reopen its embassy there, and the "second step" is for Westminster to "get real," as otherwise Afghanistan's future "could be war again or life as a Chinese vassal."
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Critics, however, claimed Ellwood was omitting the plight of women in the nation, whose freedoms and rights have been severely curtailed, as well as that of journalists and activists, who have reportedly been detained and tortured by the Taliban.
According to Conservative politician Mark Francois, a member of the committee, "last night, following a visit to Afghanistan, (Ellwood) posted an utterly bizarre video lauding the Taliban's management of the country — something that was described to me, barely an hour ago, as a "wish you were here" video."
"He made no mention of the fact that the Taliban was still trying to track down and kill Afghan citizens who assisted our armed forces, nor does he make any mention of the fact that under that regime, young girls in Afghanistan aren't even allowed to attend school.
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Even though he used the title of committee chairman in a number of related articles, I want to make it clear on behalf of the committee that he was speaking for himself. In no way in our name.
Iain Duncan Smith, a former leader of the Conservative Party, said the video was "not a very welcome statement," according to The Independent.
"The clock is being turned back" on Afghanistan's progress under the Taliban regime, according to Tom Hayes, the opposition Labour Party's potential candidate for Ellwood's Bournemouth East seat. Hayes also stated that it is "deeply concerning" for any British MP, let alone the chair of the Defence Select Committee, to be promoting a brutal, medieval dictatorship that oppresses women, limits press freedoms, and attacks civil and political rights.
Girls are not permitted to enroll in secondary schools. Universities forbid the enrollment and teaching of women. Women are not allowed to work.
"I'd love to know how much engagement the current MP has had with the girls and the women who are being treated not as second-class citizens but as fourth-class citizens," says the commenter. "When the current MP talks about advocating the importance of reestablishing diplomatic relations with the Taliban."
As the head of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission and an Afghan human rights activist, Shaharzad Akbar said, "I guess critical-thinking skills are not a requirement for MPs. When visiting Afghanistan, it is past time for visiting officials to speak with women, detained and tortured journalists and activists, and members of marginalized groups, rather than denying the persistence of "gender apartheid."
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Zehra Zaidi, an Afghan activist and lawyer, asked the following question in a tweet: "Were Afghan women spoken to before the trip to Afghanistan and did they engage with women there? This video gives off the impression of being de facto authority promotional material. Women are marginalized in society.
Ellwood defended his remarks, claiming that while he was "far from being a Taliban appeaser," he had to "grapple with the harsh reality of the West's strategic mistakes" during his most recent trip to Afghanistan.