Story perspectives

Belgium Grants One-Day Taliban Visas, NGOs Decry Legitimacy

6/25/2026

Summary

Story summary

Belgium granted five one-day visas to Taliban officials, enabling Abdul Qahar Balkhi’s delegation to meet EU officials in Brussels June 23 for a discussion on consular services and deportations, which the EU said was not diplomatic recognition.
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Malala Yousafzai condemned the talks as legitimising a regime that restricts women.
Only about 2 % of the 22,870 Afghans ordered to return have complied as states push deportations.

History

Historical Context

In December 2001 the Bonn Agreement, mediated by Lakhdar Brahimi, set up an Afghan interim authority after the U.S. invasion and pledged $1.5 billion for reconstruction. Its exclusion of the Taliban sparked an insurgency and established a pattern of limited diplomatic engagement with the group. Belgium’s 2024 one-day visas for Taliban envoy Abdul Qahar Balkhi echo that early, cautious outreach despite human-rights concerns.

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Story summary

Belgium granted five one-day visas to Taliban officials, enabling Abdul Qahar Balkhi’s delegation to meet EU officials in Brussels June 23 for a discussion on consular services and deportations, which the EU said was not diplomatic recognition.
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Malala Yousafzai condemned the talks as legitimising a regime that restricts women.
Only about 2 % of the 22,870 Afghans ordered to return have complied as states push deportations.

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