Dialogue featuring Afghan women activists, political leaders begins in Pakistan

Islamabad: A two-day dialogue featuring Afghan women activists and political leaders commenced in Pakistan on Monday, aiming to explore pathways for a peaceful future for Afghanistan, a nation long troubled by conflict.

Titled 'Towards Unity and Trust', the dialogue is organised by Women for Afghanistan (WFA) and the South Asian Strategic Stability Institute University (SASSI).

According to a statement from the organisers, the event seeks to foster constructive discussions among Afghan leaders - both women and men - and their Pakistani counterparts.

Fawzia Koofi, who leads WFA and lives in exile, has organised a series of meetings primarily involving women activists opposing Afghan Taliban policies. She has been a vocal critic of the Taliban rule. Dr Maria Sultan, a defence analyst, heads SASSI.

According to the statement, the primary aim of the meeting is to "promote inclusive and constructive discussions among leaders, including men and women from diverse segments of society in Afghanistan, to develop a shared understanding and identify common principles for Afghanistan's future stability, inclusivity, and peaceful settlement".

Dawn newspaper said it has seen a list of 37 Afghans invited to the event, including members from previous governments led by Hamid Karzai and Ashraf Ghani, such as governors, ministers, lawmakers, and women activists.

Some invitees were unable to attend the meeting due to visa issues, according to a participant.

"This timely and important dialogue aims to promote an inclusive dialogue among diverse groups of Afghan leaders (women and men) alongside Pakistani counterparts to foster inclusive dialogue, mutual understanding and lasting cooperation," the organisers said.

On the first day of the closed-door meeting, Afghan leaders were encouraged to “engage openly, exchange perspectives and define shared principles for stability, rule of law, and reaffirming the support to women's rights and inclusion”, Dawn reported, citing the organisers.

On the second day, on September 30, a Joint Pak-Afghan Session will hold “focused discussions aimed at building trust, identifying common ground and advancing a people-centric approach to address regional challenges”.

The organisers emphasised that the dialogue aims to strengthen cooperation between Afghan and Pakistani leaders. It will also promote sustainable development, stability and peace rooted in shared values and highlight the importance of women's participation and inclusive governance.

"The dialogue underscores a simple truth: peace between people leads to peace between nations," the statement noted.

The dialogue will also serve to identify common grounds for cooperation between Afghan leaders and their Pakistani counterparts on an engagement basis of developing people-centric approaches to find common solutions for regional challenges and to build trust and stability, the statement added.

"We believe that a more people-centric approach focused on economic development and regional cooperation will lead to an enhanced and meaningful relationship between the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan," it said.

Originally scheduled for August 25-26, the event was postponed following criticism from prominent figures, including Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special envoy. Khalilzad called the meeting "unwise" due to the participation of individuals opposing the Afghan Taliban.

"Afghan citizens are entitled to their political views, but Pakistan's seeming support of them by hosting their conference is hugely unwise and an intended provocation," he wrote on X.

In response, former Afghan parliamentarian Fawzia Koofi stated, "Isn't it time to let us decide what is best for us?" The event marks the first-ever gathering of political opponents of the Afghan Taliban since the hardliner clerics took over the control of Afghanistan in 2021 by dislodging a government propped up by the NATO-led Western alliance.