In recent days, a number of Taliban ministers have traveled to Pakistan and held several meetings. It is reported that the most significant of these meetings was a trilateral meeting with representatives from China and Pakistan. Analysts suggest that these two countries sought to communicate the message of the global community, which was raised at the recent Doha meeting, to the Taliban. It is believed that if the Taliban do not alter their behavior, they will face prolonged international isolation and recognition issues, in addition to other potential consequences. Some analysts state that the purpose of these meetings in Islamabad was to express concern about the activities of extremist groups such as Tehreek–e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), in order to obtain a commitment from the Taliban to confront or restrain these groups.
It is not necessary to hold a meeting to communicate the demands of the global community, as the public is already aware of them through the media. Furthermore, there is no new or hidden information that necessitates the foreign minister of this group to travel for its dissemination. The demands of the global community can be summarized as the return of Afghan women to education and work, the establishment of a comprehensive government, and the prevention of terrorist activities in Afghanistan. However, the demands of the Afghan people go beyond these issues and include the withdrawal of a military group from power, a return to the people‘s vote as the basis of the political system‘s legitimacy, the rule of law, the elimination of ethnic and religious discrimination, the separation of powers between the fundamental institutions of the government, decentralization of power structures, the liberation of political parties and civil institutions, ensuring freedom of expression, compliance with international conventions, especially in the field of human rights and citizenship, prevention of widespread financial corruption by Taliban leaders and commanders, in addition to what has been mentioned in the demands of the global community.
Pakistan and China have different demands, and they seem to be worried about the activities of the TTP and the ETIM. They are asking for these activities to stop, which is part of their demands. The former Afghan government had the same request from Pakistan and other regional countries to not give a safe haven to armed and extremist groups to act against Afghanistan, and now the regional countries are facing the same issue.
Have the activities of the TTP and the ETIM truly caused serious concern for Pakistan and China? From a strategic perspective, Pakistan views the existence of groups such as the Taliban and other extremist organizations as a strategic necessity and is unwilling to give them up. These groups are beneficial in pressuring India, negotiating with regional countries, and extorting money from countries around the world. Therefore, their elimination is not desirable for this country. The ETIM is also not a serious threat to the powerful Chinese government. These groups are only a concern when they are out of control, not when they are simply playing a provocative role. Pakistan and China‘s main worry is the secret agreement between the Taliban and the United States, and the purpose of the Islamabad meeting is to assess indicators that will reassure these two countries that the Taliban will not become a regional ally of the US despite receiving large amounts of money from them, potentially jeopardizing the interests of these two countries in the short or long term. However, the Taliban are currently attempting to gain the most benefit from Russia, Iran, China, Pakistan, Europe, and the United States.
