Taliban Minister Meets with Political Envoy Suhail Shaheen in Qatar
Sheikh Noor Mohammad Saqib, the Taliban’s Minister for Guidance, Hajj, and Religious Affairs, met with Suhail Shaheen, the group’s political representative in Qatar, during his visit to the country. The two discussed what was described as expanding religious and cultural cooperation.
According to a statement from the Taliban’s Ministry of Guidance, Saqib praised the work of the former Taliban political office in Qatar, stating that it played a key role in introducing the group to the international community. He claimed that the opening of a Taliban embassy in Doha marks a new phase in the group’s global relations and has led to progress in various areas.
These assertions come despite the fact that the Taliban government has not been formally recognized by any country, and continues to face widespread international criticism over its human rights record, restrictions on personal freedoms, and lack of inclusive political participation.
Saqib also claimed that the Taliban embassy in Qatar has helped present the “realities” of the Taliban administration to the world, portraying the group as peace-seeking. This stands in stark contrast to repeated concerns raised by international organizations and human rights groups about the widespread violations of women’s rights, media suppression, and silencing of dissent within Afghanistan.
Suhail Shaheen, for his part, mentioned Qatar’s Ministry of Endowments’ promised cooperation, and stated that Qatar may assist in rebuilding mosques, supplying prayer rugs and religious equipment, and distributing copies of the Quran. However, no specific details or timelines have been released regarding these potential contributions.
Diplomatic ties between the Taliban and Qatar have a relatively long history, with Qatar being one of the few countries to host the Taliban’s political office both before and after the fall of the former Afghan republic. However, ongoing collaboration between the two continues amid an uncertain future regarding the Taliban’s formal engagement with the international community.
