UN committee denies Taliban & Myanmar military junta's seats in its 193-member world body

The Taliban's seat at the United Nations, along with that of Myanmar's military regime, was not approved by the UN Accreditation Committee. The UN committee met on Wednesday, December 1, and postponed a decision on who will represent the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan and Myanmar's military junta, reported ANI citing Khaama Press.

The report further stated that both seats have been delayed for a long time. As a result of the decision, representatives of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and the Military Junta will be denied seats in the 193-member world body for the time being.

The decision came only hours after the Taliban's UN nominee, Sohail Shaheen, claimed in a series of Tweets that the Afghan people battled hard for their independence and have the right to have representatives at the United Nations.

"To have an Independent Afghanistan is the legitimate right of the people of Afghanistan. For this, they struggled for decades. Why they should be target of sanctions, pressures and deprived of a seat at UN because they wanted an Afghanistan, free of occupation and able to have positive relations with any country of the world based on mutual interests [sic]," Shaheen wrote on Twitter. 

It should be mentioned here that the Taliban is struggling to gain recognition from the international community after taking control of Afghanistan and announcing its interim government. 

Earlier on November 27, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen also stated that the bloc will recognise the Taliban administration, which took over Afghanistan through violence. The Taliban stormed Kabul in mid-August, forcing the US-backed government to step down.

The militant outfit then announced the composition of the new interim government of Afghanistan in September, after which they have been urging the international community to recognise the Taliban-led administration.

Myanmar military regime struggles to get recognition by International bodies

It is pertinent to mention here that Myanmar's military junta, which took control of the country following a coup in February, is also struggling to get recognition from the international bodies.

Apart from not being able to secure a seat in the United Nations, Gen. Min Aung Hlaing-led government has also been experiencing isolation within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The ASEAN has taken a tough stance against junta representatives attending regional gatherings.

As the military continues to tighten its grip in the country, Myanmar's junta has also lobbied for wider international recognition, reported ANI, citing Asia Times. According to data from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), almost 1,200 people have been killed in Myanmar since the military takeover in early this year. 

(With ANI inputs)

Image: AP/ANI