NEW DELHI: A Taliban-run gathering of thousands of male religious and ethnic leaders asked foreign governments to formally recognise their administration, but made no signals of changes on international demands such as the opening of girls' high schools.

The Afghan economy has plunged into crisis as Western governments have withdrawn funding and strictly enforced sanctions, saying the Taliban government needs to change course on human rights, especially those of women.

"We ask regional and international countries, especially Islamic countries … to recognise the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan ... release all sanctions, unfreeze (central bank) funds and support the development of Afghanistan," the gathering's participants said in a statement, using the group's name for their government, which has not been formally recognised by any country.

The gathering was called to rubber-stamp the Taliban's rule, and ahead of the meeting, officials said criticism would be tolerated and they could also discuss thorny issues such as secondary school education for girls.
Media were barred from the event, although speeches were broadcast on state media.

In speeches broadcast on state-run television, a small number of participants brought up girls' and women's education. The Taliban's deputy leader and interior minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani, said the world had demanded inclusive government and education and these issues would take time.

But the group's supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, who is normally based in the southern city of Kandahar and rarely appears in public, said foreigners should not give orders.

Taliban officials presented the gathering as an opportunity for clerics to independently say how they wanted the country to be governed, but the meeting's final declaration was mostly a regurgitation of their own doctrine.

It called for allegiance to Akhundzada, loyalty to the Taliban and the complete acceptance of sharia law as the basic principle of rule.
"By the grace of God, the Islamic system has come to rule in Afghanistan," the declaration read.

"We not only strongly support it, but will also defend it. We consider this to be the national and religious duty of the entire nation."