Herat Security Dialogue discusses ways to overcome political uncertainty in Afghanistan

The 11th Herat Security Dialogue (HSD-XI) unfolded in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on 27-28 of November with the participation of over 120 people from 20 countries, including international organizations and representatives of various political groups and former republic government officials.

The HSD-XI held under the theme “Reimagining Afghanistan, Ways Forward”, concluded with the participants deliberating on various aspects, including the future of Afghanistan and the world’s community engagement with Afghanistan in their two-day session and several panel discussions.

The panelist discussed key issues related to Afghanistan, including gender apartheid, the rise of extremism and fundamentalism, and pushed for the support for political forces opposing the Taliban aimed at establishing an inclusive government acceptable for all.

The conference also shed light on various other important issues such as opening the way for a dialogue between politicians in exile and the Taliban, fight against terrorism, practical efforts to stop drug trafficking, good ties with the neighboring countries as well as having a society to honor the fundamental rights of girls and women.

The organizer of the conference, the Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies (AISS) had said that representatives from the United Nations, the European Union, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization had also participated in the conference and merely played a role of observers.

Key officials from past government and foreign representatives participated in the HSD, discussing ways for a peaceful Afghanistan

During the first day of the conference, officials from the past government, opposition political figures, analysts and experts had discussed in detail the situation in Afghanistan and the focus was on the nature of interactions with the Taliban, who according to them, yet to agree for an intra-Afghan dialogue.

Head of AISS, Davood Moradian, said that this year’s discussions were solely focused on the future of Afghanistan with the Taliban as part of a solution or not. He said that what will happen if the Taliban doesn’t agree for a dialogue in order to form an inclusive government and if not, what steps should be taken in this regard.

Former Afghan Minister, Ismail Khan and a number of officials, including Afghan ambassador to Tajikistan

In his opening speech, Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta, former Afghan foreign minister, said that Taliban took power in August 2021 due to the inefficiency of the republic government.

Spanta expressed his dissent on the report prepared by the UN Special Coordinator Feridun Sinirlioglu, saying that Feridun has tried to present a favorable image of the Taliban in the report.

Afghan leader, Ismail Khan called on international community to pressurize the Taliban in a bid to agree on intra-Afghan talks  

“There was no need to whitewash the Taliban in the report,” Spanta added. Meanwhile, Shukria Barakzai, Afghanistan’s former envoy in Norway had questioned the UN’s dual stance, asking UN how it’s good for this organization to ask for a type of engagement or recognition of the Taliban when the Taliban doesn’t observe human rights, especially the rights of women and girls.

Chief guest, Ismail Khan, former Jihadi leader, had called on the international community to put pressure on the Taliban in order to make them agree on an opportunity for an intra-Afghan talk.

Expressing concern over world’s growing weary of the Taliban, Khan said that the current policy of Taliban will further strengthen the strongholds of resistance.

In August 2021, Khan announced war against the Taliban, but he was captured by the Taliban fighters and later on he was released and sought refuge in Iran. Now after two years, he appeared in the media once again and spoke against the Taliban. During his speech, he said that not only Iran, but the entire world has become fed up with the policy of the Taliban.

However, Karim Amin, a member of the leadership of the Hezb-e-Islami party led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, had somehow supported the report made by the Sinirlioglu. He said that Mr. Feridon Sinirlioglu has travelled to 15 provinces during his three months stay in Afghanistan and also met with the representatives of 17 provinces and also carried out talks with the three hundred people inside and outside of Afghanistan.

UK to envoy called on the world to reengage in Afghanistan

However, the former UK ambassador to Afghanistan, Nicholas Kay has put weight behind Sinirlioglu’s report and emphasized the need for the international community to support his’s UN-mandated assessment.

Afrasiab Khattak, a former Pakistani senator spoke about the mass deportation of Afghan migrants from Pakistan and said that this is the “policy of Pakistani generals” aimed at putting pressure on the people of Afghanistan. He said that these mass expulsions will end in instability in the region because when these people go to Afghanistan they won’t find any job and possibly be recruited by the Daes and TTP and other terrorist groups.

Panelist discussing Afghanistan issues.

Another participant, Abdullah Rahnama, A Tajik writer, has welcomed all the participants, especially the Afghans, labeling Tajikistan as their second home. Rahnama also expressed his grief over the recent earthquake in Herat province in which hundreds of people died, many more wounded and thousands of families became displaced.

Emphasized made upon a balanced international engagement for a peaceful a secure Afghanistan

In another discussion, Said Tayeb Jawad, former Afghan ambassador to Russia, has called for a pragmatic approach to Afghanistan’s issues, and called for a balanced international engagement and regional cooperation for a peaceful and secure future of Afghanistan.

In the same panel, Ashita Mittal, representative of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in Uzbekistan, has called for a regional consensus on combating drug trafficking.  She said that there is a need for further strengthening the borders due to increase in drug trafficking and illegal financial flows.

In another round of discussion, Shah Mahmood Miakhel, former Afghan defense minister, said that the Afghan politicians in exile have failed to design a unify strategy to combat extremism in the last two years.

At the end of the session, Davood Moradain, head of AISS, expressed gratitude for Tajikistan’s support for the people of Afghanistan. He said that after the collapse of the republic system, the world has left Afghanistan but the Tajikistan government didn’t leave Afghanistan and always stand ready to support the Afghan people.