Taliban look for international recognition at UN

Kabul, Sep 22 (EFE).- The Taliban has sought to address the ongoing session of the United Nations General Assembly as part of its efforts to establish relations with the world body and represent the country on a global platform.

In this regard, the Taliban’s interim government confirmed Wednesday their Qatar based political office’s spokesperson Suhail Shaheen as Afghanistan’s ambassador to the UN.

The step is taken in order “to start interactions and diplomatic relations and exchanges (with the international community), so the rights of Afghanistan’s oppressed people can be secured,” Taliban spokesperson Bilal Karimi told EFE.

“The Islamic Emirate has sent a letter to the United Nations asking for establishing relations between the Islamic Emirate and the United Nations,” he added.

Karimi further said that Shaheen was the ideal person from the represent Afghanistan and the Islamic Emirate – the name used by the Taliban to refer to themselves – at the UN.

Shaheen has been working as a member of the Islamist group’s political office in Doha for the past decade and is also the spokesperson of its political wing.

In the former Taliban government between 1996 and 2001, he worked as head of the state news agency Bakhtar.

The UN has to now decide whether to accept the Taliban’s appointment of Shaheen to replace Ghulam M. Isaczai, who was appointed by former President Ashraf Ghani as Afghanistan’s Ambassador to the world body in June 2021.

Afghanistan is one of the major issues in the speeches of leaders from around the world, and the possible involvement of the Taliban at the UN would mark an important step toward their gaining international acceptance. EFE

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