What the new government of Afghanistan means to everyone in the world
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Taliban's new government has a bunch of UNSC blacklisted individuals
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- The story: It was revealed that at least 14 of the 33 members of the 'interim' Taliban government in Afghanistan feature on the UN Security Council's terrorism blacklist. The Taliban's new cabinet comprises former Guantanamo Bay detainees, designated terrorists, and other individuals closely tied to foreign terror groups like Al-Qaeda and the Haqqani Network. This is perhaps a world-first!
- Who all: The names include acting Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund and his both deputies. It automatically raised concern of the international community over the composition of the new Cabinet in Afghanistan.
- Specially designated global terrorist Sirajuddin Haqqani, who carries a reward of USD 10 million US bounty on his head, is the acting interior minister while his uncle - Khalil Haqqani - was named as acting minister for refugees.
- Acting defence minister Mullah Yaqoob, acting foreign minister Mullah Ameer Khan Muttaqi and his deputy Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai are all listed under the UNSC 1988 Sanctions Committee, also known as the Taliban Sanctions Committee.
- The Taliban Five: The 33-member interim Cabinet includes four of the five leaders known as the "Taliban Five" who were once held at the Guantanamo Bay prison. They include Mullah Mohammad Fazil (deputy defence minister), Khairullah Khairkhwa (information and culture minister), Mullah Noorullah Noori (Borders and Tribal Affairs minister) and Mullah Abdul Haq Wasiq (Director of Intelligence). The fifth member of the group, Mohammad Nabi Omari, has been appointed as governor of eastern Khost Province.
- The "Taliban Five" leaders were released from Guantanamo Bay prison by the Obama administration in 2014 in exchange for US Army deserter Bowe Bergdahl.
- Fazil and Noori were accused of ordering the massacres of ethnic Shia Hazara, Tajik, and Uzbek communities in Mazar-i-Sharif in 1998.
- Inclusive goal snubbed: The Taliban earlier promised an "inclusive" government that represents Afghanistan's complex ethnic makeup, but there is no Hazara member in the Cabinet. All of the Cabinet ministers announced were already established Taliban leaders who fought against the US-led coalition forces since 2001. No woman has been named in the interim Cabinet.
- Acting Prime Minister Mullah Hasan has been described as "a close associate" of Taliban founder Mullah Omar in a UN sanctions report. He is presently head of the Taliban's powerful decision-making body - Rehbari Shura or leadership council.
- Both Deputy Prime Ministers - Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and Maulvi Abdul Salam Hanafi, who is involved in drug trafficking, are also on the UN blacklist.
- Haqqani is special: Acting interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, son of the famous anti-Soviet warlord Jalaluddin Haqqani and chief of the notorious Haqqani Network, is wanted by the FBI for questioning in connection with the January 2008 attack on a hotel in Kabul that killed six people, including an American citizen. He is believed to have coordinated and participated in cross-border attacks against the US and coalition forces in Afghanistan.
- Pakistan's role: The announcement of the interim government came three days after Pakistan's spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt Gen Hameed dashed to Kabul on an unannounced visit. The inclusion of top leaders of the Haqqani Network, which is believed to have close links with the ISI, in the Taliban government is an indication of the influence Islamabad, especially its intelligence agencies, have over the Taliban. The Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf party government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa had allocated Rs 300 million to the Darul Uloom Haqqani in its annual budget in 2016.
- What UN says: The office of the Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the UN does not engage in recognition of governments and reiterated that only a negotiated and inclusive settlement will bring sustainable peace to the conflict-torn country. Iran expressed concerns over the Taliban's move to ignore an inclusive government in Afghanistan, while saying that the first priority was stability & peace. Ignoring the need for inclusive government, foreign intervention and the use of military means instead of dialogue to meet the demands of ethnic groups and social groups are the main concerns of the friends of the Afghan people.
- What US says: Top American lawmakers from the opposition Republican Party have hit out at the Taliban over their interim government, describing it as "a government of terrorists, by the terrorists, and for the terrorists."
- EXAM QUESTIONS: (1) Explain the evolving geopolitics of the region around Afghanistan, in light of the terrorist-infested new government. (2) What are the two major options available to US, in engaging with the Afghans now? Explain. (3) India's position on terrorism is well-known. What can be its options in light of Pakistan's blatant power play inside Afghanistan?
#Afghanistan #Taliban #India #Pakistan #Terrorism
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