The Taliban have named their spokesperson Suhail Shaheen as Afghanistan’s
ambassador to the United Nations on Tuesday. The militant group has also asked
permission to address the world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly
in New York this week, according to media reports.

The request was made by Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan
Muttaqi in a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday, Reuters
reported. It was confirmed by Guterres’ spokesperson Farhan Haq. What this move
means for Ghulam Isaczai, the UN ambassador in New York representing
Afghanistan’s ousted government remains to be seen. He is currently scheduled
to address the world body on September 27.

According to the Reuters report, the rival requests
regarding who will represent Afghanistan in the UN have been sent to a nine-member
credentials committee which is unlikely to meet before Monday. So the Foreign
Minister’s address at this UNGA is highly unlikely.

If the UN does eventually accept the Taliban request, it
will give a major boost to the militant group’s credentials as legitimate
rulers of Afghanistan. The UN chief has said that the Taliban’s desire for
international recognition is the only leverage other countries have over it to
press for rights in Afghanistan.

Following a week-long offensive across Afghanistan, the Taliban overran the Afghan government and took control of Kabul on August 15, 2021. The Taliban have since sought to allay the international community’s concerns regarding their rule and form of governance, promising rights to women within the confines of Islamic law and an “inclusive” government that represents Afghanistan’s complex ethnic makeup.

But, the interim 33-member Cabinet does not include even a single Hazara, even though Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi is an Uzbek, and the Tajiks are represented by Chief of the Army Staff Qari Fasihuddin Makhdoom and Qari Din Mohammad Hanif.