Concerns in Afghanistan Over Women's Absence in Talks with Taliban

While the U.S. special envoy has called for Afghan unity to conduct fruitful negotiations and achieve peace, a senior official from the High Peace Council has expressed concern over the absence of women in the discussions. Radio Free Europe’s Dari section reports that Habiba Sarabi, the deputy of the High Peace Council of Afghanistan, stated, "Unfortunately, there are no women present in the negotiations between Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. special representative for peace in Afghanistan, and the Taliban representatives. This is a concern." Ms. Sarabi added that, "We have raised our concerns with Mr. Khalilzad and the U.S. ambassador (in Kabul)." She emphasized the importance of inviting Afghan women representatives to participate in the U.S.-Taliban talks to ensure their inclusion. The Taliban faced widespread criticism from human rights groups during their rule over Afghanistan regarding human rights and their approach to women and other issues. Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have accused the group of atrocities such as killings and mass rapes in recent years. Zalmay Khalilzad has urged the Kabul government to prepare an inclusive and "respectable" delegation for negotiations with the Taliban, asserting that peace will be achieved through "unity" among Afghan parties. Khalilzad, who has met with the Taliban delegation several times, called on the Kabul government on February 17 to form a "powerful and national" team for peace negotiations. Despite meeting with non-governmental Afghan figures and foreign parties, the Taliban has so far avoided direct negotiations with the Kabul government. Kabul, dissatisfied with the current situation and emphasizing that a final agreement can only be reached through negotiations among Afghans, is also facing criticism regarding the government delegation for the talks. Opposition politicians claim that the potential negotiation team introduced by President Ashraf Ghani is "not inclusive." Ghani has appointed his chief of staff to lead the negotiation team. Khalilzad stated, "We need a team where the leadership of the [central] government is respected; at the same time, the presence of other political parties is also essential." A new round of negotiations between Khalilzad and the Taliban delegation is expected to take place on February 25 in Doha, the capital of Qatar. Khalilzad mentioned that "there are still issues, but an agreement has been reached for the February 25 negotiations with the Taliban."