Kabul– Habibullah Hikmatyar, son of former Afghan leader Gulbuddin Hikmatyar, has said that Afghan political meetings abroad are not unusual and should not be exaggerated. His remarks came in an article responding to criticism of a recent meeting in Pakistan.
Global Meetings Highlight Double Standards
In his piece, Habibullah listed past gatherings of Afghan political groups across multiple countries. These included the Vienna Conference in Austria, the Herat Security Dialogue in Dushanbe, and a Moscow meeting in 2023 attended by Ahmad Massoud and Mohammad Mohaqiq.
He noted that similar events were also held in Albania, Iran, Turkey, Germany, and Australia. In Iran, he wrote, Taliban representatives and members of the National Resistance Front shared the same platform. Elsewhere, he said, groups openly declared armed struggle and even published Taliban casualty figures.
Habibullah questioned why those gatherings attracted little criticism, while the recent Pakistan meeting sparked a media storm.
U.S. Role Under Scrutiny
Habibullah also accused former U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad of enabling the Taliban’s return to power. He claimed Khalilzad, with Pakistan’s help, facilitated U.S.–Taliban talks while sidelining the Afghan government.
According to him, Washington interfered in elections, ignored the Constitution, and eventually handed control to the Taliban. He argued that during two decades of foreign presence, flawed strategies such as airstrikes, civilian casualties, and social humiliation only strengthened the Taliban.
Taliban Reaction Seen as Weakness
Habibullah said the Taliban propaganda team overreacted to the recent meeting in Pakistan. In contrast, Taliban officials remained silent, which, according to him, indicated no serious objection.
He concluded that Afghan political meetings abroad have become routine and should not be treated as threats. Their outcomes, he noted, rarely differ from previous discussions, which had little practical impact on the ground.
