It has been scheduled that the fourth meeting in the series of Doha conferences concerning Afghanistan will be held soon. This session is expected to focus primarily on international engagement with Afghanistan, as well as the matter of recognition of the current Afghan government. This meeting holds importance not only for Afghanistan but also for the United Nations and other international stakeholders. Although these meetings were initially designed to include the worn-out and tested figures of the former republic under different titles, the caretaker government’s strong opposition to their participation led to their exclusion from these sessions.
Given the pattern of previous Doha meetings, it is anticipated that key issues will once again be discussed in this upcoming session. However, the extent to which the outcomes will be concrete will only become clear after the meeting. Nevertheless, one thing that is already evident is that no symbolic, ineffective, or failed figures will be allowed to participate. Instead, representatives of the current government will directly attend on behalf of Afghanistan and the Afghan people, engaging in direct dialogue with relevant parties regarding the Afghan issue.
Opposition groups, factions and structures based outside of Afghanistan remain excluded from this meeting, as it has become widely understood that they cannot represent anyone and are merely trying to participate under the direction of foreign interests to safeguard those interests. However, their participation has already been ruled out. This exclusion has deeply unsettled the groups and fronts operating abroad under names such as “resistance” or “freedom.” They fear further isolation and loss of relevance among the people.
In response, they have begun issuing statements, raising alarms, alleging discrimination, and making various claims—at times advocating for Western-style rights and values for Afghan women. But the ground realities tell a different story. In Afghanistan today, women enjoy their rights in the light of Sharia, Islamic rulings, and scriptural principles. Their dignity, property, and safety are protected. Forced marriages, the exchange of women in tribal settlements, and other violations have been curbed. Women are entitled to many rights, including inheritance.
The condition of Afghan women was never worse in history than it was during the rule of the former republic, when Western values and rights were being forcibly imposed. Ironically, those same people who were in power then and are now forming fronts and groups under various names are the ones who claim to be defenders of women’s rights.
The fact is that these groups and fronts are raising such issues only out of fear of their own isolation, loss of trust, and collapse of credibility. Their true faces and records are as clear as day not only to Afghans within the country but also to the international community. These groups are heading toward downfall, isolation, and crisis; their ship is sinking, and now they are making such statements in an effort to restore their lost image and credibility.
This Doha meeting is a valuable opportunity both for Afghanistan and the international community. It allows true representatives to clearly express their demands and concerns and work toward tangible outcomes. The United Nations and other stakeholders involved in the Afghan issue should focus on core issues rather than peripheral debates and sideline discussions, and they must approach the Afghan case with sincerity and alignment with ground realities. All other methods have already been tried and proven ineffective.
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