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Taliban has no plans for governance: Mansoor
Abdul Hafiz Mansoor, a member of government’s negotiating team, said on Saturday the Taliban has no plan in place to govern, but their “power-hungry and narrow-minded spirit has not changed.”
Speaking at a roundtable discussion on the first round of peace talks and its future prospects Mansoor said the Taliban are eager to rule but have no operational plans to govern.
The discussion was organized by the Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies (AISS).
Mansoor, and Hossain Ramouz, a university lecturer, were speakers at the session.
Mansoor said “we have to move towards an interim government while maintaining the current” system adding that preserving the current achievements and values of the past 20 years is a must.
“By preserving the framework of the system and human values, we have to move towards an interim government, and the structure of this government must be a Chancellery,” Mansoor said.
According to him, Taliban are not a political group, but they want power.
“The mentality of the Taliban has not changed at all, the Taliban still has a militaristic sense and thinks they can achieve power through war.”
Ramouz said that the version of Sharia introduced by the Taliban would not be a good development model.
“The Taliban must abandon totalitarianism, because it is not possible, and both negotiators must agree to merge the republic and the Emirate, but we need to first have a clear definition of the Taliban’s Emirate,” Ramouz said.
Meanwhile, referring to the challenges the negotiating team faced in the peace talks with Taliban Mansoor said: “The Taliban does not accept anything called a republic or a government. The Taliban want to launch a religious game (Shia and Sunni).”
Mansoor also said that the Taliban think the women in the government’s negotiating team are only symbolic.
“Issues about women cannot be just on paper, women must be at the table. The Taliban think the women in the government’s negotiating team are symbolic, but they [women] have shown that they are taking strong steps to defend their rights and humanity,” Mansoor said.
Mansoor also said that the Taliban are not a religious movement nor can they justify their war.
“The Taliban is not a religious movement because they [Taliban] are not ready for a religious debate in any area, and their war has no religious justification and is not defendable,” Mansoor added.
He also raised concerns over differences of opinion between the government and the High Council of National Reconciliation.
“There are differences of opinion between the government and the High Council of National Reconciliation that need to be addressed as soon as possible.”
Mansoor also blamed the Taliban for the recent attacks on journalists.
“There is no doubt that the Taliban are involved in the recent killing and assassination of journalists,” Mansoor added.
Bismillah Adil, a Ghor journalist, was gunned down in a targeted attack on Friday.
Adil’s death is the latest in a string of targeted killings of media workers, civil society activists, and civil servants who have been systematically killed over the past few months.
In just two months, five journalists have been killed in the country in what is perceived as a ploy to silence the free media in the country.
Acting Minister of National Defense Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid has said that no destructive groups including Daesh have physical presence in Afghanistan, adding the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) will not allow anyone to pose threat to any country in the region from the Afghan soil.
Mujahid made the remarks in a meeting with a delegation from Malaysia in Kabul on Thursday.
According to a statement released by the Ministry of Defense, Mujahid highlighted Malaysia’s “good treatment” of Afghan refugees and its long-standing relations with Afghanistan, and said that Malaysia is a powerful Islamic country and visits should increase.
He added that with the establishment of the Islamic Emirate, occupation and war ended in Afghanistan, and the country is fully secure.
Based on the statement, the Malaysian delegation called Afghanistan a friendly country and while emphasizing on comprehensive cooperation, it assured that what they have seen in Afghanistan will be shared with the authorities of their country.
The European Union signed an agreement worth 17 million euros with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to improve access to basic services, increased economic opportunities and protection for Afghans on the move and their host communities in Afghanistan.
The needs of women and girls are a particular focus of the programme, EU said in a statement released on Thursday.
The statement noted that from January 2023 until April 2024, over 1.5 million Afghans returned from Pakistan and Iran.
“I am deeply moved by the hardship returnees face when being deported to Afghanistan. In a country suffering from poverty and climate change, and in a city that just saw devastating earthquakes, this truly is a crisis within a crisis.”, said Peteris Ustubs, Director for the Middle East, Asia and Pacific of the European Commission’s Department for International Partnerships during the signing ceremony at the IOM transit centre in Herat.
Raffaella Iodice, EU Chargée d’Affaires a.i. to Afghanistan, added “The solidarity of the Afghan people towards their brothers and sisters is an inspiration. We must assure that communities hosting and helping new arrivals are supported. The partnership with IOM ensures access to essential services and provides protection for Afghan returnees and their host communities. As women and girls can be particularly affected, we make sure that all members of society can benefit”.
“IOM’s continued partnership with the EU has been critical in enabling our teams to reach hundreds of thousands of Afghan returnees and other vulnerable communities in the country”, said IOM Afghanistan Chief of Mission, Maria Moita. “Thanks to this renewed commitment, we will be able to focus on addressing the immense challenges in the areas of return and contribute to reintegration, social cohesion, and longer-term solutions for those communities.”
This additional contribution is part of a 5-year programme that is being implemented across Afghanistan and in four countries in the region. It builds on the EU’s previous support to IOM to improve the wellbeing of Afghans forced to return to the country, EU said.
Acting Minister of Interior Affairs Sirajuddin Haqqani has said in a meeting with a delegation from Malaysia in Kabul that Malaysia is an advanced country and that Afghanistan should use is experiences.
According to a statement released by the Interior Ministry, Haqqani, in the meeting on Thursday, emphasized that security is ensured in Afghanistan and unity among Afghans has been restored.
He stated that the Islamic Emirate wants to have close relations and engagement with the world, especially Islamic countries.
The Malaysian delegation consists of representatives of the Ministries of Interior and Defense, and advisers of the Prime Minister’s Office.
According to the statement, a member of the delegation provided information about Malaysia’s capabilities in cyber security and tackling cyber crime, and said that Malaysia will share its experiences in this field with the Islamic Emirate.
In the meeting, the two sides also discussed the fight against drugs, police training, bilateral cooperation and exchange of experiences between Malaysia and Afghanistan.
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