ALTHOUGH the Afghan Taliban regime desires to break out of international isolation and seeks recognition, its refusal to engage with its neighbours at a recent multilateral forum presents a strange paradox. On Sunday, Iran hosted a meeting of special representatives for Afghanistan in Tehran, featuring all of Kabul’s neighbours, as well as Russia. However, the Taliban chose not to attend. Perhaps they were expecting uncomfortable questions about the terrorists active on their soil, hence chose to skip the Tehran meeting. Indeed, Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq highlighted the terrorist threat originating from Afghan soil, observing that if Kabul wanted to enhance trust with its neighbours, it was essential to address the problem of militancy. Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stressed that Afghanistan’s neighbours were the “most natural and reliable” actors that could help Kabul address its problems. Mr Araghchi also made a veiled reference to the Western nation-building attempt in Afghanistan, saying that “imported prescriptions” had failed to bring stability to the country.

Meetings such as these indicate that Afghanistan’s neighbours are willing to work with the Taliban regime in order to help the Afghan people and support efforts to revitalise the economy. But if the Taliban refuse to interact with regional states, there is little that others can do. The Taliban refuse to see the elephant in the room: that the presence of numerous terrorist groups on Afghan soil is the biggest obstacle standing in the way of better ties with neighbours. While some groups, such as IS, are at odds with the Taliban, others, such as the banned TTP and Al Qaeda, have cordial ties with their hosts. And it is not just Pakistan that has been affected by Afghanistan-based militants. Over the past few weeks, there have been at least two deadly attacks originating from Afghanistan targeting Chinese workers in Tajikistan. The Taliban cannot expect business as usual with foreign states when they continue to host some of the world’s most lethal terrorists. Instead of avoiding difficult issues, it is better if Taliban officials interact with Afghanistan’s neighbours and discuss the problem of terrorism openly. All states would be willing to help Kabul with counterterrorism measures, should the Taliban request it. The Taliban need to choose between their neighbours and the international community, or their old terrorist friends.

Published in Dawn, December 17th, 2025