Taliban won't get legitimacy if they come by force, says Doha meet on Afghanistan

Image courtesy: Reuters file pic

New Delhi: The Doha meetings on Afghanistan in a final outcome document have sent a message to the Taliban that it won't get legitimacy if it comes by force and called on both the Afghan government and Taliban to accelerate the peace process. 

The 9-point Chairman statement issued after the series of meetings said, "Participants reaffirmed that they will not recognize any government in Afghanistan that is imposed through the use of military force."

Doha witnessed two key meetings, one on Tuesday that saw the participation of China, Uzbekistan, United States, Pakistan, United Kingdom, Qatar, United Nations, and the European Union, and another on Thursday that saw the participation of Germany, India, Norway, Qatar, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United States, and the United Nations to discuss the ongoing situation in Afghanistan. 

On Wednesday, the Troika Plus meeting happened which saw the participation of the US, Russia, and China plus Pakistan. The outcome document stated that participants agreed that "peace process" needs to be "accelerated as a matter of great urgency" on the basis of the negotiations of "concrete proposals" from both sides--the Afghan republic side and the Taliban side.

The key document called for a "political settlement and comprehensive ceasefire as quickly as possible". The political settlement should not undo the gains of the past, including women's and minorities' rights and "a commitment to not allow any individuals or groups to use the soil of Afghanistan to threaten the security of other countries".

The inputs from the Security establishment suggest that terror camps from Pakistan have moved into Afghanistan, in areas under Taliban occupation. Afghan govt has been saying that 10,000 foreign terrorists fighters representing 20 groups including Al-Qaeda, Lashkar e taiba, TTP, IMU, ETIM, and ISIL have entered into the country and fighting along with the Taliban.

During the meetings, Participants raised "grave concerns" about reports of "continued violence, large numbers of civilian casualties and extra-judicial killings, widespread and credible allegations of human rights violations, all attacks (ground and air) against provincial capitals and cities, and the destruction of physical infrastructure" from Afghanistan. 

Even as the Taliban make massive territorial gains, provincial capital after provincial capital has fallen with humanitarian crisis erupting. In some parts, heartbreaking visuals of women and children being killed have emerged. 

The document in an optimistic note highlighted that "participants committed to assist in the reconstruction of Afghanistan once a viable political settlement is reached following good faith negotiations between the two sides."

Global diplomatic engagements are on as the situation deteriorates in Afghanistan. Earlier this month, India as the President of the United Nations Security Council hosted a meeting on Afghanistan on the issue. Number of countries reiterated that the Taliban won't get legitimacy if it comes by force. 

The US-Europe communique, a C5+1 statement – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, embassies represented in Kabul which included embassies of Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the EU delegation, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, NATO, Spain, Sweden, the UK have been issuing similar statements expressing concerns on the situation in the country.