Piercing the Veil: How Qatar, Tobias Ellwood, and a Forged Letter Are Furthering the Taliban's Cause
A Taliban Exposé Behind the Hidden Agendas of Taliban Lobbyists
July 19, 2023 - In an alarming intersection of political lobbying and misinformation, this week brought to light a covert operation intended to legitimize the Taliban terrorists, causing ripples of concern among those dedicated to human rights. The disclosure of a secret meeting by the Qatar Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies, a deceptive letter falsely claiming representation of 3,000 Afghan civil rights workers, and a now-deleted video by Tobias Ellwood advocating for engagement with the Taliban have all contrived to raise pressing questions about the disturbing trend of normalizing relations with the Taliban. Balancing this dangerous narrative was Piers Morgan's staunch challenge to Ellwood's stance, sharing our sentiments and lending hope to our shared cause.
On July 24, 2023, the Qatar Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies, plans to host a secret meeting with women from Afghanistan. ‘
This event they’re calling, the “Afghan Women’s Dialogue,” is to be part of a wider plan aimed at normalizing interactions with the Taliban. Their narrative is similar to Ellwood's stance that has caused much uproar, leading him to remove a video promoting normalization with the Taliban under the guise of further engagement, after the hard-hitting interview with Piers Morgan on national tv in the United Kingdom.
The Qatari institute’s invitation for the private gathering reassures attendees that their identities will remain hidden while they share their experiences under the Taliban's gender-apartheid regime. The existence of such a meeting was confirmed by Medina Mahboubi, a women's rights activist who recently stirred controversy with her speech at the UN Human Rights Council.
Mahboubi’s acknowledgement of the meeting further highlights the extent of the manipulation.
But the intrigue doesn't end there. A letter claiming to speak on behalf of 3,000 men and women hailing from Afghanistan and involved in civil rights work has made its way to the United Nations and Western governments.
The letter carries requests for dialogues with the Taliban and the release of the frozen funds of the Central Bank of Afghanistan—interestingly mirroring the Taliban's own demands.
This fraudulent letter, purportedly carrying the voices of civil rights activists, raises several red flags. Several women whose names appear on it have expressed surprise and displeasure, reporting they had no knowledge of it.
One woman was even threatened with death after she objected to her name being included!
The Qatari Center, the entity organizing the meeting, has a known pro-Taliban bias. Its director, Dr. Ghassan Al-Khalut, has signed the invitation for the meeting.
Al-Khalut’s involvement along with the center’s founder, Sultan Barakat, has garnered notoriety for his staunch support of the Taliban terrorists.
A simple search of his name reveals a plethora of similar content to that of Ellwood's propaganda video, solidifying the true intentions behind the gathering: to whitewash the Taliban’s atrocities and normalize their gender-apartheid regime.
Barakat both drew intense criticism for his Taliban normalization propaganda piece published on May 30, 2023, titled "The West has a golden opportunity to engage the Taliban" on Al-Jazeera, the Qatari state-owned Arabic-language international news television network.
In the article, he argued that the appointment of a new prime minister in Kabul signaled the Taliban's willingness to engage in dialogue, urging Western leaders not to miss this supposed chance. However, as we enter July, not a single claim or premise in his piece has materialized. One wonders why he would proceed to facilitate a secret meeting under these circumstances.
In the same Al-Jazeera piece, Barakat claimed that Mullah Akhundzada would be replaced by Mullah Kabir. Akhundzada remains in power and is actually consolidating his authority while sidelining other top Taliban terrorists. The appointment of Mullah Abdul Kabir as interim prime minister on May 17 was not about replacing Akhundzada but rather about marginalizing Mullah Baradar, another influential figure within the Taliban’s factionalized ranks. This move solely solidified Kabir’s role as a Qatar-based pawn of Haibatullah.
Barakat further suggested that the leadership change within the Taliban indicated a positive development and a willingness to open up, citing growing international concern over the Taliban's restrictions on girls' education and women's employment. However, on June 19th, during the first day of the UN's 53rd session of the Human Rights Commission, Richard Bennett, the UN's Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan, confirmed that the human rights situation had not improved. He described Afghanistan under the Taliban as a gender-apartheid rule, with no positive changes for women, girls, or those marginalized or opposing the Taliban's ideology.
Given these revelations, it becomes perplexing as to why one would actively engage further with a terrorist group that contradicts their own assertions.
Earlier this year, Amina J. Mohammed, the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, faced warranted criticism on Twitter for allegedly lobbying for the Taliban as she called for a meeting to discuss the group’s recognition. She has deleted her tweet since, but you can read more about it on VOA News here.
“And out of that, we hope that we’ll find those baby steps to put us back on the pathway to recognition [of the Taliban], a principled recognition... is it possible? I don’t know. [But] that discussion has to happen. The Taliban clearly want recognition, and that’s the leverage we have.”
The strong backlash against Ellwood, Mohammed, and Barakat only serves to reinforce our steadfast stance against the normalization of the Taliban's reign of terror. This collective outcry from realists reflects the recognition that after Doha's failure and the detrimental consequences of engaging with the Taliban over the past two years, society in Afghanistan has regressed to a state reminiscent of the dark ages, particularly for women. Piers Morgan's characterization of the Taliban having taken Afghanistan back to the Dark Age truly captures the gravity of the situation.
In the midst of these concerning developments, Morgan’s challenging interview with Tobias Ellwood provided some relief. Following the interview, Ellwood deleted his pro-Taliban video, reflecting a step back from his earlier stance.
We applaud Morgan for his tenacity and dedication to the truth.
“…I also am to think that the Taliban are a bunch of ruthless words and have taken the poor women of Afghanistan back to the dark age…”
It is important to highlight that while apologies like Ellwood's may be offered, actions speak louder. Despite the apology, his persistence in maintaining a ludicrous position has been widely criticized as "idiotic" by both his peers and the masses. What makes it particularly unacceptable is his refusal to heed the voices of women from Afghanistan, including those expressed by BBC's Yalda Hakim, who have directly voiced their disagreement.
In his apology, Ellwood reflects on his personal visit and the intentions behind his statements. However, the consequences of his poor communication remain.
Having witnessed certain aspects during his visit, he felt compelled to report on the eerie calm, changes in security, corruption, and opium growth. Additionally, he acknowledges the increasing restrictions on women and girls.
While emphasizing the need for international intervention to prevent the collapse of the vulnerable economy and the return of terrorist camps, he also recognizes the limitations of the current strategy.
The people of Afghanistan continue to endure immeasurable suffering, and these deceptive tactics only serve to legitimize their oppressors.
We owe a debt of gratitude to Nilofar Langar, a seasoned journalist at the Independent Persian news agency, whose relentless pursuit of the truth in her original Farsi report helped bring these manipulations to light, allowing for this exposé to be published.
In light of these revelations, we reiterate our commitment to the #StopNormalizingTaliban campaign. We stand with the people of Afghanistan against these manipulations, determined to expose the Taliban and their lobbyist’s deceits and trickery. The fight is far from over, and we encourage everyone to stand with us in this vital mission!
Last updated at 15:00 on 07/20 (Kabul Time):
Recent development: In a surprising turn of events, the organizers of the planned meeting in Qatar, which aimed to whitewash the Taliban with alleged support from the United Nations, have announced the cancellation of the event.
According to the tweet below in Farsi, Tajuden Soroush, a senior international correspondent for Afghanistan International, says that the participants were informed today about the meeting's cancellation.
In the original tweet quoted, he mentions that the meeting will involve ten women activists from within Afghanistan and ten women from outside the country. The attached images depict the agenda of the now cancelled meeting.
