Afghan leaders hold presser in Islamabad, oppose Taliban govt

By Muhammad JuniadPublished On 05 Jan 2023

Political leaders visiting Pakistan have held a press conference in Islamabad and opposed what they called “the single-party government” in Afghanistan shortly after the Taliban declared the formation of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

The Afghan delegation comprising erstwhile Northern Alliance leaders arrived in Pakistan on Sunday, the day Kabul was overrun by the Taliban. The delegation has since met Prime Minister Imran Khan, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

Addressing the press conference, the delegate said they were invited to Pakistan by the federal cabinet of the country, which had sent the invitation a month ago. Their visit was delayed due to some issues and finally, when it began on August 15, the situation in Afghanistan took a dramatic turn, they said.

Speaker Afghan Parliament Mir Rehman Rehmani said Afghanistan had changed since 1996 – when the Taliban ruled.

Rehman said Afghanistan should be governed by a constitution that is acceptable to everyone. A single-party authoritarian government would not be accepted, he told reporters.

Afghan leaders said the military solution to deal with Afghanistan’s problem was a cause of concern for them.

“Pakistan has changed”

Talking about their meetings here, the Afghan leaders said Pakistan’s civil and military leadership has adopted a new and impartial Afghan policy.

“Pakistan has changed. It’s inevitable that mindsets change in Afghanistan as well,” Rehmani said.

The Afghan leaders said their visit was aimed at finding a peaceful solution to Afghanistan’s problem. However, a military solution was preferred over aspirations of Afghan people and the international community, they said.

Islamic Emirate

Earlier, the Taliban issued a statement to commemorate Afghanistan 102nd Independence Day. The statement also includes a declaration of the formation of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, a report by news agency Reuters claimed.

The news agency cited a Taliban leader and a tweet by Zabiullah Mujahid to say that the Taliban had declared the Islamic Emirate and that Afghanistan may be ruled by a governing council with Mullah Hibatullah as supreme leader.

The tweet in Pashto read, “[This is the] declaration of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan on the occasion of the 102nd anniversary of the country’s (Afghanistan’s) independence from British rule.”