The Coalition of Afghan Women’s Protest Movements has responded to the meeting of Thomas West, the United States Special Representative for Afghanistan, with members of the “Afghanistan’s Future Think Society” in Doha, stating that meetings that do not include representatives of “victims of Taliban crimes,” protesting women, and marginalized ethnic and group members, have no legitimacy.
On Saturday, April 15, the Coalition of Afghan Women’s Protest Movements issued a statement, saying, “In our view, meetings like these that deny the painful realities of the Afghan people and are devoid of the presence of various groups of Afghan people, only lead to whitewashing of the Taliban and continuation of the failed peace agenda of the United States with the Taliban.”
According to the coalition, the people of Afghanistan are struggling with hunger, poverty, and misery caused by the Taliban.
These women have asked Thomas West and international partners of Afghanistan not to exclude women, protesters, marginalized ethnic and group members, and families of victims from discussions about their fate and not to be unjust.
This comes as West wrote on Twitter that on Thursday, April 14th, he met with members of the “Afghanistan’s Future Think Society” in Doha, which included some former members of the Afghan government, women’s rights activists, civil activists, and tribal elders.
He claimed that all participants in this meeting supported dialogue as a solution to the current challenges in Afghanistan and opposed armed struggles.
