Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan to represent all political groups, says Haqqani

Muhammad Ilyas Khan

KABUL, Aug 23 (APP): In an effort to assuage international concerns about inclusive Afghan set-up, the key Taliban leader Khalil ur Rehman Haqqani on Monday said that the Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan would be a representative government of all political groups and the local communities.

In an exclusive panel interview with PTV, APP and PBC, Khalil Haqqani said, “We will present to the world practical shape of the Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan and first we will enforce the Sharia laws on ourselves and later on the people and there will be no high handedness with anyone in Afghanistan.”

The Taliban senior leader however did not specify any proper structure for the government, but said talks for the formation of an inclusive government was in progress with various leaders and representatives of different Afghan communities and they were pledging their allegiance to the Taliban and the Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan.

The world after Taliban’ s takeover of Kabul is concerned that Afghans would resort to fighting over the share of power in the new political set up but Haqqani assured the world that it should not be too much worried about this.

He said when they came to Kabul they met former Afghan president Hamid Karzai and ex-chief executive of Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah and both were frightened and thinking to leave the country, “but we assured them that there would be no revengeful proceeding against them.”

Haqqani said they also had a meeting with Hizb-i-Islami Chief Gulbbudin Hekmatyar and exchanged views on formation of Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan.

During the series of meeting, he said they also met Gul Agha Sherzai and Maulana Sher Muhammad of Helmand, Afghan politician and former ambassador Hazrat Omer Zakhelwal, who had arranged a high-level Jirga- representing people from all walks of life.

Extending general amnesty to former president Ashraf Ghani, his advisers and armed forces’ chiefs, Haqqani said they forgive everyone from their end and now everyone should perform his duty and contribute their role.

He urged the people not to flee the country and those who had already left should come back and contribute to the national development.

Hashmat Ghani, he said, the brother of former president Ashraf Ghani had also hinted to support the Islamic Emirates government in Afghanistan.

The Taliban leader said war was imposed on the Afghans from abroad and those who created divisions amongst Afghan brothers, ” no longer exist now in Afghanistan.”

Haqqani said they also met with leadership of Panjsher and were in contact with all leaders of Afghanistan and from now onwards there would be no bloodshed in Afghanistan.

“We demand from the Afghans and international community not to spread fear among the people. “Spreading fear and chaos was not Islamic Emirates narrative.”

To a question about foreign intervention in Afghanistan, he said the history of Afghans is witnessed they never bowed to anyone.

He said Taliban’s success was attributed to their unity and discipline and they had defeated the enemy politically and in the battlefield as well.

 

APP Services