NEW DELHI: After the regional dialogue in Doha over Afghanistan situation, 12 countries including India, the US and China have decided that they would not recognise any government that has taken control over Kabul through violence.
According to US State Department spokesperson Ned Price, the participants agreed, first and foremost, that the peace process needs to be accelerated. And they also agreed, importantly, that they will not recognise any government that is imposed through military force. “So this is not just the US making this point. This is not just the US speaking with our voice. This is the international community, as you see represented in the consensus that has emerged today,” he said.
Interestingly, the development comes amid reports in the US that China has agreed to recognise the Taliban, if it comes to power in Afghanistan. The agreement comes after a Taliban delegation travelled to China and met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on July 28.
In Doha, the participants which attended the regional conference on Afghanistan included the US, Qatar, the UN, China, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, the UK, the EU, Germany, India, Norway, Tajikistan, Turkey and Turkmenistan. India was represented by Joint Secretary (Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran) JP Singh.
The statement from the State Department comes at a time when the Taliban resurgence has gained momentum. The militant group has captured around 10 provincial capitals within a week. On Thursday, Afghanistan’s third largest city Herat and Ghazni, which is only 150 km from Kabul, fell to the militant group. On Friday, the Taliban said that it captured Kandahar.
Countries like the US, Canada and Pakistan have closed down their missions in Afghanistan fearing the surge of the Taliban. US military intelligence assessment suggests Kabul could come under insurgent pressure within 30 days and that, if current trends hold, the Taliban could gain full control of the country within a few months.