Afghan women stand against Oslo summit; say 'step toward Taliban is step taken against Afghan people'
Jan 24, 2022
Kabul [Afghanistan], January 24 : Amid the ongoing talks between the Taliban delegation and members of the international community in Norway, human rights advocates and Afghan women fear a summit in Oslo might facilitate the Islamic outfit's political recognition.
An Afghanistan delegation, led by acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, is holding talks with the various stakeholders of Afghanistan.
The delegation is the first to meet with the US envoys and the talks would focus on the release of the frozen assets, the removal of its members' names from the blacklist, and the extension of relations between Kabul and Washington, according to TOLONews.
The visit is the first of the Taliban delegation to Europe after it took power in Kabul last year and the meeting will be held from January 23 to 25, according to a statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway.
A group of women in Bamyan protested on Saturday against the summit and questioned the need for the invitation extended by the Norwegian authorities.
"The Taliban have taken away our food, freedom, work, and education, and there is nothing left for the people of Afghanistan," Muhadesa, a woman protester in Bamyan city, told Afghanistan's Rukhshana Media. "Why would a European country [want to] hold a conference and invite this group when [we are] in such a situation?"
Women protestors say that an official invitation could mean a step towards recognizing the Taliban despite the lack of legitimacy of the Taliban among the people of Afghanistan.
"The Taliban have taken away our food, freedom, work, and education, and there is nothing left for the people of Afghanistan," Muhadesa, a woman protester in Bamyan city, told Rukhshana Media. "Why would a European country [want to] hold a conference and invite this group when [we are] in such a situation?"
Another critic of the Taliban government said many summits had been held with the Taliban in Qatar and other countries over the past decade, but ultimately it proved that the Taliban are not willing to accept any condition or demand.
"Every step taken toward the Taliban is a step taken against the people of Afghanistan," she said.
Taliban seized power in Kabul in August last year. Since its return to power, it has taken several policy steps that rights groups say are regressive in nature and undermine the progress made in the last two decades in Afghanistan.
