Fawzia Koofi (left), Taliban Representative Sher Abbas Stanikzai (center), and Sima Samar (right)
Michael Hughes: Many members of Afghan civil society have said they refuse to let the Taliban reverse progressive advances including in the area of women’s rights while the insurgents, who feel they have handed a great foreign invader a military defeat, have their own conditions including making the country’s constitution more Islamic.
The warring parties in Afghanistan, of course, have yet to have a single meeting. The Taliban have been talking to foreign puppet masters while the Afghan government threw a Loya Jirga party which underscored that Kabul still needs to get its own divided house in order.
However, although recent intra-Afghan talks have been canceled, there has been interaction between Taliban and ordinary Afghans operating in a non-official capacity. Politician Fawzia Koofi is one of the only women to attend the first round of negotiations in Moscow in February and she came away with mixed feelings.