‘Taliban’s interim cabinet negates claims about women rights and inclusive govt’

The interim cabinet of Taliban negates their claims of forming an inclusive government as other communities have been ignored. The Afghan war gave rise to extremism and Kalashnikov culture in Pakistan. Governing Afghanistan is no longer easy because the Taliban do not have enough experience of governance while the country faces serious economic challenges.

These view expressed by academics and Afghan affairs experts while addressing a seminar titled ‘The Changing Scenario in Afghanistan: Impact & Options for Pakistan’, which was organised by Karachi University’s Department of International Relations and the Pakistan Study Centre at the centre on Thursday.

“It also seems that the Taliban had support from some portion of the Afghan army,” said former Pakistani ambassador Dr Shahid Amin. He added that Afghanistan’s people were disappointed as their country had been at war for the last four decades and they wanted a durable and long-lasting peace in Afghanistan.

He mentioned that the American president’s decision to withdraw US troops was criticised, but he had made a strong decision to pull the United States out of the 20-year war and would be remembered in history.

The Afghan military was relying a lot on the US military and their sudden withdrawal from the country as well as the weaknesses within the Afghan army led the Taliban to occupy Kabul so quickly.

However, the United States had suffered a clear defeat in the war, which had caused irreparable damage to its status as a superpower. The Taliban have sent a good message to the world after capturing Kabul. The Taliban have achieved a great military victory which has shocked the whole world that how a well-trained Afghan military force comprising 300,000 soldiers has surrendered without any resistance, he said.

Dr Amin remarked that although the Taliban’s statement in which they announced that the women’s rights to work, education and participation in government in the framework of Sharia was welcoming, while giving general amnesty, which was a positive sign, the announcement of the interim cabinet negated their claims.

He recalled that when the Taliban had formed their first government in the 1990s, it had not been recognised by the Northern Alliance and the non-Pakhtun population, which included Tajiks, Uzbeks and Hazaras, as they had not been included in that government, and now once again the those segments of the non-Pakhtun population had been ignored in the interim setup and there were fears of another civil war in the country.

He shared that after the Russian withdrawal, the Northern Alliance and Taliban were fighting with each other, and, unfortunately, despite having lengthy negotiations to form a coalition government, no known faces of other communities and parties could be seen in this interim government.

KU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi said: “We are talking about the old and new Taliban. The question is whether the world will recognise the current Taliban government or not.”

He said that we live in a world that is a global village and no country could be left in political and diplomatic isolation. It is important to see how the Taliban will establish diplomatic relations with the rest of the world.

He recalled that after the Russian intervention, Pakistan came to the front line in the Afghan war, which posed many challenges to Pakistan. The Afghan war gave rise to extremism and Kalashnikov culture in Pakistan as well as the issue of millions of refugees. Pakistan took a U-turn in its policy after 9/11 and became a frontline ally of the United States against the Taliban government.

“We need to formulate a policy that protects Pakistan’s national interests. We need to formulate our Afghan policy thoughtfully. Governing Afghanistan is no longer easy because the Taliban have little government experience and the country faces serious economic challenges. Pakistan, Russia, and China have a key role to play in bringing peace to Afghanistan.”

An assistant professor at the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies, National Defense University, Islamabad, Dr Rashid Ahmed, briefed the participants on the history of Afghanistan and the current situation through a detailed presentation.

He mentioned that Afghanistan had harboured the Pakistani nationalists’ groups in their soil since Pakistan came into being.

He said former Afghan president Hamid Karzai had ignored Taliban overtures and alienation and intimidation of Taliban sparked insurgency.

He warned that if Pakistan restricted the Taliban movement, then they might use India to pressurise Pakistan.

Earlier, Pakistan Study Centre in-charge Dr Erum Muzaffar observed that the rapidly changing political situation in Afghanistan was important for all neighboring countries, especially Pakistan. Since the establishment of Pakistan, the situation in Afghanistan had had a profound effect on Pakistan, and security concerns had been raised.

“Whether it is the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan or the US invasion of Afghanistan, Pakistan has been badly affected by all circumstances. Similarly, in the current context, the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the formation of a Taliban government will have a profound effect on Pakistan’s political and economic situation, including security.”

Dr Naeem Ahmed, the chairman of the Department of International Relations, University of Karachi, was of the view that the changing situation in Afghanistan would have positive and negative effects on Pakistan.

The Taliban, he asid, would face many challenges like international reorganisation, how to bring peace to Afghanistan, gaining the trust of people living in the country, how to improve the economy, what kind of relationship they would have with neighbours, and curbing drugs and weapons.