The International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision this week to issue arrest warrants for two senior Taliban leaders on charges of gender-based persecution brought the spotlight back to the Afghan Taliban regime’s repressive domestic policies, particularly its draconian curbs on women and girls. While such symbolic acts of international justice may help keep global attention on human rights in Afghanistan, they also raise urgent questions about what the world plans to do about a regime that, whether liked or not, is firmly entrenched in power. This is precisely the point raised by Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, who in a speech to the UN General Assembly this week urged the international community to acknowledge the “de facto” Taliban rule in Afghanistan. Without official recognition and engagement, he warned, the world risks triggering yet another conflict in a region that has already endured more than four decades of war. These words reflect a growing frustration, especially in countries that share a border with Afghanistan, over the international community’s continued ambiguity about how to deal with the Taliban.
For its part, Pakistan has maintained an uneasy relationship with the Taliban regime since its takeover in August 2021. Despite not granting formal recognition, Islamabad has kept diplomatic channels open and repeatedly called on the world to engage with the authorities in Kabul to avert humanitarian collapse and ensure regional security. But this approach has not yielded the desired results. Instead, militant activity emanating from Afghan soil, including cross-border attacks by the TTP, which operates with impunity, continues to pose a major threat to Pakistan’s national security. Pakistan says the TTP has at least 6,000 fighters and is collaborating with Baloch separatist groups to sabotage infrastructure and development projects inside Pakistan. This is not just a bilateral concern and yet most of the international community remains locked in a policy of disengagement, hoping the Taliban will simply wither away under the weight of sanctions and diplomatic isolation. That has clearly not happened.
Now Russia’s decision to formally recognise the Taliban government, making it the first country to do so since 2021, could be the start of a new chapter. This is a stunning geopolitical reversal given Russia’s history in Afghanistan. It is also a deeply pragmatic move. For Russia, which now faces a resurgent ISIS-K presence near its southern borders, engaging with the Afghan Taliban is a strategic necessity. This shift matters. By recognising the Taliban, Russia has punched a hole in the international wall of non-recognition, and it is likely that others may just follow suit. Now the big question: where should Pakistan stand in this? Engagement without recognition has brought neither cooperation on counterterrorism nor progress on key concerns like refugee repatriation, cross-border trade and militancy. If anything, it has deepened mistrust. That said, recognition should not be seen as approval. At best, it is a diplomatic tool that can help bring regimes to the table and extract commitments on human rights, security and governance. The Afghan Taliban are unlikely to change under siege. But with structured engagement backed by the regional and international community, and tied to clear benchmarks, there may be some room for movement. Isolation did not bring peace to Afghanistan in the past and will not do so now. It is also time to call out the double standards. The US negotiated its withdrawal from Afghanistan with the Taliban. Now it refuses to recognise the same group it legitimised in Doha. Meanwhile, Western countries continue to maintain ties with regimes that have far bloodier records or are actively engaged in war crimes, such as in Gaza. And the world is changing too. New blocs -- from Brics to the SCO -- are gaining traction to challenge the monopoly of Western-led institutions. Recognising the Taliban is not about endorsing repression but about leveraging diplomacy to avert a deeper crisis. The hope is that a non-isolated Afghanistan too will choose pragmatism over barbarism -- and understand that recognition too will come with some strings such as women’s education, healthcare and some semblance of human rights. For Pakistan, it is also necessary that the Afghan Taliban understand that in no way can they continue to host a terrorist group (TTP) on their soil.