EDITORIAL: The irony could not be more exquisite. Russia has become the first country to formally recognise the Taliban regime in Afghanistan — three decades after the Soviet Union was bled out of the same country by the Taliban’s ideological forebears.
The mujahideen, funded and armed by the West, fought what was then a global superpower to a humiliating retreat. The conflict helped unravel the USSR. Now, Russia returns not as occupier but as legitimiser, handing the Taliban the one thing they have desperately sought since seizing Kabul in 2021: international recognition.
From Moscow’s point of view, this is less nostalgia and more realpolitik. With the West distracted, relations frozen over Ukraine, and Central Asia in play again, Russia sees value in establishing formal ties with the new Afghan order. It gets a toehold in a strategically important region, potential insulation from Islamist extremism spilling over its own Muslim-majority republics, and a chance to check US influence. For the Taliban, of course, this is a breakthrough. One embassy signboard changed from “Chargé d’affaires” to “Ambassador” signals the potential beginning of legitimacy on the world stage.
But legitimacy comes with responsibility, and that’s where the Taliban regime continues to fall short — especially in its dealings with neighbours. None more so than Pakistan.
Despite hosting millions of Afghan refugees for over four decades and bearing the long-term consequences of the war next door, Pakistan now finds itself under attack from elements operating out of Afghan territory. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), designated a terrorist organisation by Islamabad, continues to launch cross-border attacks with impunity. Security agencies have raised alarm after alarm, insisting that the TTP enjoys safe haven across the Durand Line. Yet Kabul has done little more than offer vague denials and noncommittal statements.
This is not how a responsible government behaves, especially one that claims to represent the interests of the Afghan people and seeks broader recognition from the international community. For all its rhetoric about self-reliance and sovereignty, the Taliban leadership must understand that the path to recognition runs through regional stability and counterterrorism credibility.
Russia may have turned the page, but others won’t be so quick. China remains cautious. The West, while weary of its own failed occupation, is still not prepared to deal with a regime that suppresses women’s rights, restricts civil liberties, and offers sanctuary to transnational jihadists. Even the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has not gone beyond cautious engagement.
Afghanistan needs more friends. It needs trade, aid, and development support. But those will only follow when the regime in Kabul stops acting like an insurgency in power and starts behaving like a responsible state. That includes dealing decisively with groups like the TTP that threaten regional peace.
Pakistan, for its part, has exercised more patience than most. But that patience is wearing thin. Islamabad cannot indefinitely tolerate cross-border militancy, especially when its own internal security is fraying and its economy remains on life support. If the Taliban continue to ignore Pakistan’s concerns, they risk isolating themselves further — even from their last remaining friends.
Russia’s recognition may give the Taliban a diplomatic headline. But one endorsement does not a government make. The road to legitimacy is long and uneven, and it runs through hard choices. Afghanistan must decide whether it wants to be seen as a state or remain a rogue outpost shielded by ideology and inertia.
So far, the Taliban have benefited from the world’s fatigue with Afghanistan. But fatigue does not equal forgiveness. And recognition, even from a former foe, is not a free pass. If the Taliban are serious about being accepted as a legitimate government, then they must act like one — starting with protecting their neighbours from threats operating under their watch.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025