The key question about any negotiations with the Taliban is whether they will serve the Afghan people, their rights, and their aspirations; or normalise their oppression.
On 3 August 2026, HAMRAH Network member Nazifa Jalali, Founder and Executive Director of Dialogue Hub for Common Ground, brought that question to one of Norway’s most prominent public forums. Speaking on a panel at Olavsfest in Trondheim alongside Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Espen Barth Eide, Ms Jalali made the case for principled, rights-based engagement, and for Afghan civil society to be at the centre of any political process on Afghanistan.
Negotiations Are Not a Solution in Themselves
Negotiations matter; but the terms on which they happen matter just as much. Nazifa was clear: before any process begins, the international community must be clear about who is at the table, who genuinely represents the Afghan people, and what principles must be non-negotiable. Rights-based engagement is the only kind that serves peace. Anything less risks becoming a pathway to the normalisation of repression.
She made the case for consistent, strategic diplomatic pressure on the Taliban, arguing that principled engagement is more likely to produce results than isolation alone. The international community has diplomatic tools and must use them more effectively, setting clear red lines with the rights of Afghan women and girls placed at the centre of any engagement, not treated as an afterthought.
Extremism Does Not Respect Borders
Ms Jalali also raised something that too often goes unsaid in European capitals: the consequences of unchecked extremism in Afghanistan will not stay in Afghanistan. As HAMRAH’s report on Taliban madrasas documented, the rapid expansion of a parallel religious education system, producing tens of thousands of ideologically formed graduates annually, carries significant implications for regional stability and international security. Preventing Afghanistan from becoming a haven for extremist groups is not only a moral imperative. It is a European security interest.
A Direct Message to Norway
Her message to Norway was clear: stand with the Afghan people and civil society. Afghan women and girls are fighting for their own rights every day, through the act of reading, running underground schools, delivering online classes, and documenting atrocities at personal risk. What they need from the international community is solidarity, support, and amplification. Any engagement with the Taliban must be built on clear, principled conditions, something Norway has yet to demonstrate.
Why This Matters
Supporting and empowering Afghan civil society voices where decisions are made is one of HAMRAH’s core objectives. Ms Jalali’s presence at Olavsfest, speaking directly to a government minister on one of Norway’s most prominent public platforms, is precisely what that looks like in practice. Afghan civil society does not need to be spoken for. It needs the access, resources, and support to speak for itself.
