UK Envoy Meets Senior Taliban Official Over Afghan Refugee Crisis
Richard Lindsay, the UK’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, met with senior Taliban official Mawlawi Abdul Kabir in Kabul on Tuesday to discuss the conditions of returning Afghan refugees as well as the worsening humanitarian crisis in the country.
During the meeting, Lindsay welcomed a recent agreement between the Taliban administration and Pakistan and expressed hope that both sides would take joint steps toward achieving a lasting ceasefire. This comes amid widespread international criticism over Pakistan’s forced deportation of Afghan migrants and the denial of their right to voluntary return.
The British envoy also warned that the return of thousands of refugees, coupled with recent natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods, has significantly increased humanitarian needs in Afghanistan. He called for urgent 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 and described the construction of residential settlements as a necessary step. According to the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, the Taliban official requested the UK’s cooperation in building these settlements.
These meetings are taking place as the Taliban, despite lacking international recognition, seeks to leverage the refugee crisis to gain support from Western countries—a move that, so far, has not been backed by any concrete action from the group.
