The world is keeping a close watch on the volatile situation in Afghanistan after Taliban forces entered Rashtrapati Bhavan in a coup after democratically elected President Ashraf Ghani left the country. Afghanistan’s national capital, Kabul, was taken under Taliban control on Sunday, 15 August.
The world is seeing that Islamic countries are also keeping a close watch on the situation in Kabul. The OIC (Organization of Islamic Countries) has expressed concern and called for a ceasefire. The committee emphasized the restoration of peace in Afghanistan.
The biggest question is what is the stand of Saudi Arabia and other Islamic countries on the Afghanistan-Taliban crisis. Who is in favor and against the Taliban?
Muslim world’s stand on the Afghan crisis:
1. Pakistan: Pakistan is Afghanistan’s nearest neighbor and is closely watching the “change of power”. In the latest statement, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhry has said that Pakistan is keeping a close watch on the situation in Afghanistan. “Pakistan will continue to support efforts for a political solution,” he said. He expressed the hope of working closely with Afghanistan to resolve the internal political crisis. According to Prime Minister Imran Khan, he has no favorite in Afghanistan. There are 3 million Afghan refugees living in Pakistan and there is a 2500 km long border between the two countries.
2. Qatar: Qatar, a small country in the Islamic world, is playing an important role in the Afghan dispute. The political office of the Taliban is in Qatar. Qatar has provided the Taliban with the base and political facilities to conduct political and military talks with the US on its soil. The US is withdrawing from Afghanistan only after the deal with the Taliban last year.
3. Saudi Arabia and UAE: Saudi Arabia, the most important Sunni-majority country in the Islamic world, has kept silence on the issue of Afghanistan. Saudi Arabia has historical ties with both Afghanistan and the Taliban. However, it has distanced itself since talks between the Taliban and the US began in Qatar in 2018. Saudi Arabia supported the Afghan Mujahideen against Russia in the 1980s and 90s but has refrained from speaking openly about the current crisis. The same is the case with the United Arab Emirates, which has kept its distance from the Afghan dispute.
4. Iran and Turkmenistan: The growing power of the Taliban in Afghanistan has raised concerns for its Shia-majority neighbor Iran. In 1998, eight Iranian embassy employees, including an Iranian journalist, were killed by the Taliban in Mazar-e-Sharif. In a statement released on Friday, Iran asked the Taliban to guarantee the safety of its embassy staff in Kabul and Herat. Turkmenistan, on the other hand, has tried to strengthen ties with the Taliban. As the Taliban captured the border, Turkmenistan called the Taliban leaders for talks.
5. Turkey: Turkey has expressed its intention to secure Hamid Karzai International Airport even after the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan. However, the Taliban does not support Turkey’s intentions and views the presence of any foreign forces as a business. He has warned Turkey not to send troops to Kabul airport. Significantly, Turkey is a member of the NATO alliance. Turkey’s military has not been present in Afghanistan but has supported the actions of NATO troops in Afghanistan. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, “In our view, the attitude of the Taliban is not the same as that of a Muslim to his fellow Muslim.”
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