Architect of botched Doha Agreement angling for a comeback

A former Trump administration official to blame for Afghanistan falling into the Taliban’s hands seeks a political comeback despite championing the terror group and a convicted pro-Taliban narco baron.

Zalmay Khalilzad, 73, an American-Afghan lobbyist-turned-diplomat, served as the Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation under the first Trump administration and was the architect of the botched 2020 Doha Agreement that led to the country’s takeover by the terrorist militants and the US’s chaotic withdrawal from the country.

The former diplomat, who speculated in 2008 about running for the presidency in Afghanistan, is now signaling his intention to return to the frontlines of diplomacy under the second Trump administration and play a larger role in the Taliban’s Afghanistan.

This comes as the No Tax Dollars for Terrorists Act, a proposed bill to defund and clawback funds from the Taliban, was approved last month by the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee and now moves to the full Senate for consideration, despite the lobbying opposition.

Key opponents to the bill were reportedly Khalilzad and Tom West, his then-deputy who succeeded him in his Afghanistan role in 2021 amid President Biden’s election win. West has been working at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee since April 2025.

But Khalilzad’s unlikely comeback may raise eyebrows in US political circles and the Afghan diaspora amid revelations of involvement with a pro-Taliban telecommunications company as well as prior praise and support for the militant group and campaign to release a convicted heroin kingpin, dubbed “the Pablo Escobar of the Middle East.”

“The attempt to rehabilitate Zalmay Khalilzad’s political standing is deeply alarming. He was central to a process that dismantled the Afghan Republic, legitimised the Taliban, and stripped the Afghan people of any meaningful political voice,” said Darius Nasimi, founder of the UK-based Afghanistan Government in Exile (AGiE) and Campaign for a Democratic and Progressive Afghanistan.

“Zalmay Khalilzad must never be allowed to make a political comeback to Afghanistan. Any effort to return Zalmay Khalilzad to a position of influence, or to allow him to shape Afghanistan’s future, would represent a profound failure to reckon with responsibility,” he added. “Khalilzad has zero standing and reputation among the people of Afghanistan.”

Since at least 2009, Khalilzad has been involved with the initiatives of the Bayat Foundation, a US-registered philanthropic arm of the Bayat Group, a media and telecoms conglomerate led by Ehsan Bayat, notably consisting of Telecommunications Systems International (TSI) and the Afghan Wireless Communication Company (AWCC).

Alliance for the Restoration of Cultural Heritage (Arch Inc.), a Virginia non-profit where Khalilzad serves as director and his wife, Cheryl Benard, serves as president, transferred $18,000 to the Bayat Foundation, according to the 2024 annual report obtained by Asia Times.

Ariana News, the group’s media subsidiary, has faced accusations of censoring criticism of the Taliban and removing historical archives to appease the regime and prevent the Taliban from shutting down AWCC’s cellular towers. In late 2021, TSI also engaged an American lobbying firm to navigate US sanctions exposure and maintain its business operations in Afghanistan.

Bayat’s companies have maintained commercial relationships with the Taliban since the 1990s, including a 1998 joint venture with the Taliban government to establish wireless infrastructure. This same joint venture was later ratified by the interim Afghan government when Khalilzad served as US ambassador to the country.

Khalilzad’s relationship with Bayat extends back to at least 2009, when he participated in a Bayat Foundation-hosted symposium in Washington and joined the organisation’s “Afghan Trusted Network” as a charter member. He delivered the keynote address at the Bayat Foundation’s inaugural gala in 2012.

The former diplomat has been a proponent of working with the Taliban since at least 1996, when he proclaimed that the Taliban does not practice “anti-US-style fundamentalism.” The comment came months after the group welcomed Osama Bin Laden to settle in Afghanistan, who went on to issue a declaration of war against American citizens.

“The Taliban does not practice the anti-US style of fundamentalism practiced by Iran,” Khalilzad wrote in the Washington Post. “We should … be willing to offer recognition and humanitarian assistance and to promote international economic reconstruction…It is time for the United States to re-engage [the Taliban].”

A year later, in 1997, while advising oil company Unocal, Khalilzad participated in hosting Taliban delegates in Texas for pipeline negotiations.

Such comments did not preclude Khalilzad from serving in various positions related to Afghanistan or Iraq under the George W Bush administration, and most under the first Trump administration.

During the 2019-2020 Doha talks, Khalilzad supported the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners, many of whom immediately joined the militants to take over the country, and pressured the US government to release convicted narcotics trafficker Haji Bashir Noorzai.

The Doha agreement sparked backlash across the Afghan diaspora at the time, leading to later calls for the prosecution of Khalilzad and former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai. “The Doha Agreement was not a peace deal. It was a political surrender negotiated without transparency, accountability or democratic consent,” Nasimi said.

He added: “Both Zalmay Khalilzad and Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai should be brought before the International Criminal Court (ICC) to be prosecuted for war crimes and crimes against humanity, to ensure real accountability and justice for the Afghan people. We call for urgent and uncompromising action to investigate Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai’s and Zalmay Khalilzad’s roles in the political collapse that enabled the Taliban’s return.”

Noorzai was arrested in April 2005 by American law enforcement during a sting operation in New York City. He was subsequently charged with the alleged smuggling of more than US$50 million worth of heroin into the US. In 2008, Noorzai was convicted in the Southern District of New York for heroin trafficking charges and sentenced to life imprisonment.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI successfully opposed the release at that time. Following Khalilzad’s departure amid President Biden’s election, West replaced him as the special envoy related to Afghanistan. In September 2022, Noorzai was released in exchange for an American prisoner.

Since the release, Noorzai has emerged as a key economic power broker within the Taliban regime, facilitating Chinese investment in Afghan mining and energy projects, including the Amu Darya oil basin and Samti gold mine. Noorzai is reportedly a close ally and trusted confidant of the Taliban’s Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.

Khalilzad’s relationship and shadow diplomacy efforts with the fundamentalist regime continued after he departed the government in late 2021. Last year, he reportedly visited the country at least four times, each time receiving a ceremonial welcome by senior Taliban government officials.

In March 2025, Khalilzad was also present in an unofficial capacity during the US-Taliban hostage swap talks. The former diplomat’s role raised questions, prompting State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce to clarify that Khalilzad had no “official government role” during these meetings with the Taliban.

In 2023, a similar statement was issued by the Biden administration after Khalilzad’s comments related to Pakistan,with a State Department official reiterating that “he does not speak for this administration.”