By Ayaz Gul
VOA News
September 20, 2024

Islamabad — Pakistan and Iran have sharply criticized diplomats from the de facto Taliban government in neighboring Afghanistan for showing “disrespect” to their national anthems in breach of diplomatic norms.

The controversy arose earlier this week after the Taliban consul general, Mohibullah Shakir, and his colleague remained seated during the playing of the Pakistani national anthem at an official ceremony in the northwestern city of Peshawar.

The move triggered public outrage in Pakistan and demands for Shakir’s expulsion.

Islamabad swiftly protested and officially complained to de facto Afghan authorities in Kabul, denouncing their diplomat’s “disrespect” for the Pakistani national anthem as a “reprehensible” act and a breach of “diplomatic norms.”

Shakir’s mission office in Peshawar defended his stance and dismissed allegations of disrespect for the anthem. It said the diplomat remained seated because the anthem had music, which the Taliban consider forbidden in line with their strict interpretation of Islam. “Imagine a religious scholar standing up for music,” a consulate spokesperson was quoted as saying.

Since regaining control of Afghanistan in 2021, the radical Taliban leaders have enforced their strict interpretation of Islamic law, known as Sharia. This enforcement includes banning music, prohibiting girls’ education beyond the sixth grade, and barring Afghan women from most workplaces, among other restrictions.

However, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson rejected the Taliban’s explanation on Thursday. At a news conference in Islamabad, Mumtaz Baloch stated that Shakir’s action “hurt the sentiments of the people of Pakistan.” She cautioned that her government reserves the right to take further action in line with international diplomatic norms and practices.

“We expect any individual who enjoys a diplomatic status in Pakistan to respect those norms,” Baloch said. “We have raised this with the Afghan authorities and conveyed our strong displeasure … and we also reject the explanation that the acting Council General has given for his actions.”

Taliban’s conflicting stance

Meanwhile, Iran also has criticized the head of a Taliban delegation, Azizurrahman Mansour, a deputy minister, for not standing during the host country’s anthem at an International Islamic Unity Conference on Thursday in Tehran, where the Iranian president was in attendance.

The Foreign Ministry later summoned Taliban Acting Ambassador Fazal Mohammad Haqqani to seek clarification regarding Mansour disrespecting the national anthem.

Iranian media quoted Haqqani as reaffirming his country’s respect for Iran, claiming that Mansour’s action was “personal” and not reflective of the Afghan government’s official stance.

Mansour later stated in a formal video message that he remained seated during the Iranian national anthem in line with traditions in Afghanistan. “In our country, we sit when the song is played, and I have acted according to this custom. We apologize to the people who were upset.”

The Taliban’s explanation, though, failed to ease the outrage in Iran.

“Disrespecting diplomatic norms under the pretext of Sharia-based prohibition of music doesn’t make any sense,” Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Iran’s special envoy for Afghanistan, said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. He wrote in the local language that listening to music should also be prohibited if music is banned.

Mohammad Ali Abtahi, a prominent Iranian “reformist and senior aide to former President Mohammad Khatami,” also joined the Iranian political denunciation of the Taliban. The London-based Iran International Persian-language television channel published a translation of Abtahi’s local language X post.

“The Taliban’s disrespect toward the national anthems of Pakistan and Iran, and their refusal to stand, has ideological roots.” Abtahi further warned, “When we say that the Taliban’s ideology is more dangerous than the thousands of weapons they have, this is what we mean.”

Abtahi criticized the conference organizers for inviting the Taliban and stated that “the majority of Muslims everywhere, including in Iran, do not seek unity with the Taliban.”

Iran is a majority Shi’ite Muslim country, and the Taliban represents the majority Sunni Muslim community in Afghanistan.

No country has officially recognized the Taliban as the legitimate government in Kabul, mainly because of their restrictions on women’s access to education and public life at large.

On Thursday, Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said that his government controlled about 40 Afghan embassies and consulates worldwide, and that its diplomatic relations with the international community were improving.

Many Western governments, including the United States, insist that formal recognition of the Taliban depends on their actions regarding women’s rights, education for girls and women, and freedom of movement.