UK Envoy Meets Taliban Official in Kabul to Discuss Refugee Crisis
Richard Lindsay, the United Kingdom’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan, met on Tuesday in Kabul with Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, a senior Taliban official, to discuss the conditions of returning refugees and the growing humanitarian crisis in the country.
During the meeting, Lindsay welcomed a recent agreement between the Taliban administration and Pakistan, expressing hope that both sides would take joint steps toward achieving a lasting ceasefire. The meeting comes amid growing international criticism over Pakistan’s forced deportation of Afghan refugees and the denial of their right to voluntary return.
The British envoy also warned that the return of thousands of refugees, along with natural disasters such as recent earthquakes and floods, has significantly increased humanitarian needs in Afghanistan. He called for immediate attention to the situation.
In response, Mawlawi Abdul Kabir claimed that the Taliban administration is using all available resources to address the needs of returning refugees, describing the construction of residential settlements as a necessary step. According to the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations, the Taliban official urged the United Kingdom to cooperate in building these housing initiatives.
The meeting took place as the Taliban government, still lacking international recognition, seeks to use the refugee crisis as a means to gain support from Western countries—an effort that has so far lacked concrete action from the administration.
