`Isolating approach would not work`: Taliban asks UNSC to permanently end travel ban

Kabul: Claiming that an isolating approach of the Taliban would do no good to Afghanistan and its people, the Deputy Spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate Bilal Karimi called out the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to lift all the sanctions related to travel bans, saying there should be a less gap between the Islamic Emirate and the world, TOLOnews reported on Friday.

"An isolating approach would not work and there should be less of a gap between the Islamic Emirate and the world," Taliban`s Deputy Spokesperson Bilal Karimi said.

Earlier in September, Human Rights Watch urged the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) not to extend the existing government officials` travel exemption as a result of the closure of girls` schools in Afghanistan and the Taliban`s atrocities against women and girls in the war-torn nation.

"The Islamic Emirate always works to minimize gaps: isolationist policies, and policies that create gaps and lead to problems. History has shown that did not produce any results, I mean positive results," Karimi added, TOLOnews reported.

The UN Security Council hasn`t renewed the Taliban leaders` exemption from the travel ban in more than three months. TOLOnews reported citing various international relations specialists that the Taliban`s failure to address the demands of the international community is what prevented the extension of the travel exemption for its officials.

"The Taliban should respond to the demands of the international community as a standard country and a standard government," said a former diplomat, Aziz Marij.

According to the analysts, one of the key reasons for not extending the travel exemption for officials of the Islamic Emirate is the failure of the Taliban to implement the Doha Agreement.

"The Taliban group failed to uphold its obligations to the international community and the Afghan people, one of which is to respect Afghan citizens` fundamental rights," said Nematullah Bizhan, international relations expert.

Human Rights Watch also urged the United Nations not to extend the existing government officials` travel exemption and demanded how they should be taking care of the intense women`s rights crisis in Afghanistan.

“The Security Council should permanently end all exemptions to the travel bans that are covering and restricting some Taliban leaders. The Security Council should be looking to add more Taliban leaders to the list of people subject to travel bans and to add other measures and based on their involvement in human rights violations," said the associate director of the women`s rights division at Human Rights Watch, Heather Barr.

Earlier, the UN Security Council (UNSC) gave leaders of the Islamic Emirate exemptions to travel bans to facilitate their negotiations with the US despite its long-standing international travel ban on the Taliban leaders.

Moreover, in an earlier statement, HRW`s Barr said the Taliban rollback of the rights of women and girls began immediately after they took power on August 15, 2021. An extraordinary national economic, financial, and humanitarian crisis has aggravated the human rights situation since the Taliban took control of Kabul last year. Large-scale violence has been unleashed since the US soldiers left the country, causing political unrest in many regions of the nation.

According to UNAMA, at least 59 per cent of the population currently requires humanitarian aid, an increase of 6 million people since the beginning of 2021.