While it cannot be denied that Taliban are supporters of one ideology, they are also doing cynical politics
A realistic assessment of the conditions under which it has to operate should have prompted the Taliban regime in Afghanistan to follow a moderate path. Instead, it has sent unmistakable signals of prioritizing extremism. A peculiar state of mind is almost certainly at play, but it would be a mistake to ascribe dissonance to this factor alone.
Taliban’s insistence
Afghanistan is in dire need of financial support from the international community. This is not just because of the impending food crisis, which could push millions to the brink of starvation in a matter of weeks. Donors will likely provide food assistance in a timely manner. But the government has no money to pay salaries or run machinery.
Before the US closed up shop in mid-August, it was estimated that Afghanistan accounted for 80% of public expenditure. Afghan government funds worth several billion dollars have now been frozen by the US Federal Reserve. Other donor countries and the International Monetary Fund have also cut the flow of finance. Russia, Iran and the Central Asian republics cannot pick up the slack; China believes in loans, not grants; And Pakistan is a near basket case. The only source of revenue that Kabul officials can hope to tap into is customs duty payments and a good chunk of them could be snatched away by the militias controlling the border posts.
Western countries are unlikely to recognize the Taliban regime as a legitimate government – a necessary condition for loosening the purse strings – unless it meets three conditions: Kabul must ensure that terrorist groups There is no asylum in Afghanistan; The rights of women and minorities must be protected; And the government should be inclusive. But given the first steps they took after assuming power, the Taliban seem unimpressed by these demands or the consequences of non-compliance. In forming a cabinet, the Taliban clearly indicated that they were willing to lead their country towards the autocracy imposed during their earlier term in power. Hardline Pashtuns control most of the ministries, other castes have only symbolic representation, and women are excluded. Hints about how it will reign soon. The education ministry ordered male teachers and students to be sent back to secondary school but made no mention of female teachers or girl students. Working women were told that they should stay at home until proper arrangements were made to ensure their safety. There is no women’s ministry anymore; The Taliban have brought back the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Evil. He has banned protests that do not have his approval.
Minor concessions on the demand to include non-Pashtuns are unlikely to satisfy the world or other ethnic groups in Afghanistan. The formation of the ministry has added another hurdle in the flow of funds. Several people in the cabinet are on the United Nations Sanctions List and the US Terrorism List. The US can also impose sanctions on other countries that provide aid to this cabinet.
Given these apparently insurmountable odds, why has the Taliban displayed such rudeness? A sensible course would have been to show compliance, gain recognition, establish diplomatic relations and get the money flowing. The revival of radicalism could be postponed until the regime’s status as a legitimate entity was secured. Other governments may have found it more difficult to break ties than to withdraw recognition from the start.
Militia hotspot
The general belief is that the Taliban are staunchly devoted to a pre-modern world view. The narrative is designed to embed the idea in the consciousness of the world that young Talib is the core of this enterprise and is so firmly convinced in what he has been taught that if there is a deviation from the world view, Will turn against political leaders and policies they support. The story goes that any compromise by elders or nominal superiors would lead these young Talibs to join the Islamic State-Khorasan Province (IS-KP).
It’s time to call this bluff. Young Talibs, whether from villages or refugee camps, are probably all true Muslims and most can show some respect for their mullahs. But they are not as unexpected to the world as the generations before them. According to reports, she has no hesitation in posing for pictures or listening to music, which is based on the activities performed by the conservative. Previous generations of Taliban would have respected Osama bin Laden for sacrificing a life of luxury to engage in jihad. But this did not motivate him to join al Qaeda, even though bin Laden has sworn allegiance to its respected leader, Mullah Omar. After all, among the 19 terrorists associated with 9/11, there was no Afghan. If this had happened in the era of jihad, then there is no reason to think that these youths will now move towards IS-KP. Can extremists occupy key positions in cabinet that, if prevented from implementing their policies, have common cause with IS-KP? They subscribe to an ideology that is a mixture of Pakhtunwali (the old tribal code) and a patriarchal interpretation of Sharia. His dedication to this cause did not prevent him from diverting aid for refugees to investments in the Gulf and luxury housing in Quetta. They are definitely conservative and ruthless. But his declaration of intention to establish a system based on his own interpretation of selected Islamic texts is nothing more than cynical politics.
Overall, there is an attempt to create the impression that the Taliban movement is an extremist controlled monolith and invincible. In fact, the Taliban is a stronghold of fighters, who are constantly changing themselves in relation to each other. Designations such as Defense Minister have no meaning when the army does not exist, and Mulla Yakub has complete control over the men raised from his territory. Other militias opted to serve with their men, who in time could be away. Sirajuddin Haqqani, who has intelligence papers in his home ministry, and who has the power to appoint governors, may be the only real winner here. The opposition to his appointment may have been a factor that led Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, the head of the Inter-Services Intelligence, to directly intervene in the formation of the Afghan ministry. Haqqani’s dominance certainly advances Pakistan’s agenda. But the road ahead is full in Afghanistan where fault lines run on all sides. Pakistan knows that it faces a difficult task in the territory of its western neighbour. In the meantime, it looks like it is intended to achieve what it could gain. While prompting its opponents to be obstinate, Pakistan may present itself to the world as the only entity capable of controlling the madness.
Keshav Menon is a senior journalist whose other articles are available at kesavamenon@wordpress.org. can be read on
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