UAE Accepts Taliban Ambassador’s Credentials: Diplomatic Win for Afghanistan

UAE Accepts Taliban Ambassador’s Credentials in Diplomatic Victory for Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday accepted the credentials of the Taliban’s ambassador to the oil-rich Gulf Arab state, the biggest diplomatic coup for Afghanistan’s rulers, who are not officially recognized as the country’s legitimate government.

The development, the first Taliban ambassador to China since one was appointed last December, underscores the international divide over how to deal with the government in Kabul now.

The information on Badruddin Haqqani was verified by the Kabul Ministry of Foreign Affairs through a post on social media site X. Requests for information regarding Haqqani, the former Taliban envoy to the United Arab Emirates, were not answered by the government.

Haqqani is a member of the same team as Acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, who met Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the leader of the United Arab Emirates, in June.

The formidable Haqqani network, a terrorist organisation associated with the Taliban, is now led by Sirajuddin Haqqani, a designated global terrorist. He is on many sanction lists and is wanted by the US for his role in the horrific strikes.

Although the Taliban remain isolated from the West, they pursue bilateral relations with major regional powers. Uzbek Prime Minister Abdullah Aripov arrived in Afghanistan last week in the highest-level visit by a foreign official since the Taliban returned to power three years ago.

Official recognition of Taliban-run Afghanistan is “almost impossible” while restrictions on women and girls remain, the United Nations says.

In a separate development on Wednesday, a UN-appointed rights expert condemned the Taliban’s decision to ban him from Afghanistan. Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, has often criticized the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls.

Bennett said the Taliban’s announcement that it would no longer be allowed into Afghanistan was “a step backwards and a worrying sign” about its engagement with the UN and the international community on human rights.

“I urge the Taliban to reverse their decision and reiterate my willingness and availability to travel to Afghanistan,” Bennett said.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman in Kabul warned that Bennett’s actions were harmful to the interests of Afghanistan and the Afghan people.

“It was deemed appropriate that Bennett continue his professional demeanor from the comfort of his office rather than exhaust himself with unnecessary travel,” spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said in a message to The Associated Press.