EU Hosts Taliban to Push Afghans Back to Their Nightmare Regime
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The EU invited Taliban officials to Brussels for closed-door talks on Afghan refugee deportations, sparking global condemnation from human rights groups.
By Pranjal Gupta
New Delhi, June 23: At a time when people in Afghanistan are living in a humanitarian crisis under a draconian regime, the European Union has invited Taliban officials to conduct a closed-door meeting for deporting Afghan refugees. A delegation of five members of the Taliban arrived in Brussels on Tuesday. Their visas gave them a window of 24 hours, while also restricting them from visiting another country in the EU.
The five-person delegation in Brussels from the Taliban — a government that none of the 27 EU nations recognises — includes Abdul Qahar Balkhi, a New Zealand-born spokesperson for the Taliban's foreign ministry, said a Taliban official speaking on condition of anonymity.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said that while Belgium doesn't recognise the Taliban, it would comply with EU requests to grant the Taliban visas. "Belgium cannot confer legitimacy on a regime accused of serious human rights violations," he said in a statement referring to Belgium's hosting of the EU institutions.
Afghans make up one of the largest groups of migrants seeking asylum in the European Union, but a growing number of governments in the 27-nation bloc want to speed up and increase deportations for those whose claims are rejected or who commit crimes in their host countries.
Human rights groups from across the globe have condemned the EU's move, which could legitimise the Taliban's position as the ruler of Afghanistan. Fereshta Abbasi, a researcher at Human Rights Watch, said, "EU countries are undermining their credibility by condemning Taliban abuses and pursuing accountability on one hand, while cooperating with the Taliban to forcibly return Afghans on the other."
Taliban's Draconian Regime
The oppressive regime of the Taliban has suppressed the rights of women, who are not allowed to attend school after sixth grade, are legally prohibited from travelling or leaving their homes without a mahram (a male chaperone relative), and are even banned from letting their voices be heard in public.
The curtailed rights of women are not the only thing that has made the Taliban a nightmare for the rest of the world. Afghanistan is also reeling from food and economic crises, including biting sanctions on the Islamic Emirate.
Afghanistan has been dealing with the return of about 3 million Afghans from Pakistan and Iran in the past year alone, all of whom have been pretty much forcibly repatriated from those two countries, exacerbating a humanitarian disaster in Afghanistan.
2% of 22,870 Afghans Returned Voluntarily
A spokesperson for the European Commission said Monday that the meeting is in response to pressure from a clear majority of the 27 EU nations – 20 of whom signed a letter in October calling for stronger migration policies including a ramping up of deportations.
The October letter was drafted in part by Belgian Migration Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt, who said then that “we have sent a clear and powerful message to the European Commission: we can no longer afford a standstill. It is high time for a firm and joint approach, so that Europe can regain control over migration and security.”
Bossuyt said that across the EU, only 2% of the 22,870 Afghans told to return had done so.
Another Commission spokesperson said the meeting “does not mean by any means recognition.”
(With Inputs from AP)
