Women are also banned from working for other NGOs, and are excluded from almost all secondary and university studies and most government jobs. (File image: Reuters)
The Doha talks were organized by António Guterres after the Taliban government banned Afghan women from working for the United Nations, prompting the world body to review its huge relief operations in Afghanistan.
UN chief Antonio Guterres on Tuesday held a second day of talks with world powers on how to deal with Afghan Taliban leaders, amid warnings from the Kabul administration that the meeting could be ” counterproductive”.
The Doha talks were organized by António Guterres after the Taliban government banned Afghan women from working for the United Nations, prompting the world body to review its massive relief operations in Afghanistan.
Women are also banned from working for other NGOs, and are excluded from almost all secondary and university studies and most government jobs.
The talks involve envoys from the United States, Russia, China and 20 other countries and organizations, including major European donors and neighbors like Pakistan, but exclude the Taliban government.
“Any meeting without the participation of the representatives of the IEA (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) – the main actor on the issue – is unproductive and even sometimes counterproductive,” said the head of the Taliban’s political office in Doha, Suhail Shaheen. .
“How can a decision made at such meetings be acceptable or implemented when we are not part of the process? It is discriminatory and unjustified,” he said.
Separately, Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi will lead a delegation to Islamabad at the end of the week for talks with Pakistani and Chinese officials, the ministry said on Tuesday.
Muttaqi, who is under a UN travel ban, has already received exemptions to travel to the neighboring country for interviews.
Last week, the UN Security Council unanimously condemned the banning of its female Afghan staff, which the world body said seriously threatened its efforts to help the population.
Women’s groups staged protests on Saturday over fears the Doha meeting could offer steps towards recognizing the Taliban administration which returned to power in August 2021.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, however, said on Monday that “it’s not up for discussion” during the talks, which are being held behind closed doors.
The meeting will discuss human rights, including women’s rights, the governance of Afghanistan and ways to combat terrorism and drug trafficking, Djurric said.
António Guterres wants “a common understanding with the international community on how to engage with the Taliban on these issues”, he added.
The UN review of its operation in Afghanistan is due to end on Friday. The global body said it faced a “dreadful choice” over whether to stay in the country.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)