The first round of the Taliban opposition meeting, which had been postponed due to Taliban objections, began today, Monday, September 29th, under the title “Regional Dialogue Towards Unity and Trust” in Pakistan’s capital.
About 25 members and representatives of political parties, media activists, human rights and women’s rights defenders, who are mostly considered opponents of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and have been in exile for four years, gathered at the Margala Hotel in Islamabad.
This meeting was organized by the South Asian Strategic Stability Research Institute and the Women for Afghanistan organization led by Fawzia Koofi .
The meeting included senior figures from jihadi parties opposing the Taliban such as Abdullah Qarlaq, Faridon Elham, Hussein Yasa, Habibur Rahman Hekmatyar, Mustafa Mastur, Fawzia Koofi, Gholam Qader Sekandari, Alia Yilmaz, Sima Nouri, and Nasir Ahmad Andisha.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, this is the first gathering of Taliban opponents held in Pakistan.
Zalmay Khalilzad, former US special representative for Afghanistan peace affairs, described holding this meeting as “an unwise and provocative action”.
