Daily Times

Russia’s engagement with countries once regarded as anti-Soviet Union is growing. Isolated by Western sanctions in the wake of the Ukraine war, Moscow is aggressively focusing on Asia, South Asia, and Arab nations. With China, it has almost developed a new bloc. Now, Russia’s ties with Afghanistan’s Taliban government are b seen with interest and amazement. That is the power of Russian diplomacy.

On Tuesday, Russia’s parliament took a key step toward recognising the Taliban. The lower house, the Duma, voted on a law that could remove the Taliban from Russia’s list of banned terrorist organisations. This is part of a shift in Russia’s policy that it is embracing the foes of the past. Taliban have also shown resilience in equal footing to be recognized internationally.

Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, no country has formally recognized its government. Not even Pakistan. However, Russia has been steadily building ties. President Vladimir Putin recently referred to the Taliban as an ally in fighting terrorism.

Besides Western sanctions, security concerns are also driving Russia to reach the Taliban. Militant groups from Afghanistan to the Middle East pose serious threats. Earlier this year, an attack near Moscow was attributed to Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), a group linked to Afghanistan. The Taliban has claimed it is eliminating ISIS-K within its borders.

While Russia has shown flexibility in its diplomatic approach, the Taliban have yet to shed their signature rigidness. Taliban’s global acceptance faces hurdles because of their policies on women’s rights. Girls are barred from schools and universities, and women face strict movement restrictions. These policies conflict with international human rights standards. Russia’s history with Afghanistan is troubling. The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979 and led a decade-long war against US-backed mujahideen. That conflict claimed 15,000 Soviet lives before a withdrawal in 1989. *