Taliban –The disobedient protégé of Pakistan

The Taliban is trying to convince the world that the present Government is different from the earlier Taliban government.

Taliban and especially the Haqqani group is a veritable sword arm of the Pakistan ISI In a sense the Taliban is a protégé of Pakistan but is not an obedient one and an average Talibani hates the Pakistani. On numerous occasions, the Taliban which professes a hard-line and puritanical interpretation of Islam has disobeyed Pakistani diktats. Neither are the Taliban a closely-knit entity and there are reports of deep divisions between Taliban leadership.

These doubts increased earlier this month when Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar who was appointed the deputy prime minister stopped appearing publically leading to speculation that he may have been killed in the infighting within the Taliban hierarchy.

Average Taliban hates the Pakistani

The Taliban leaders are suspicious of the Pakistani government and this was evident when the Pakistani ISI Chief Faiz Hameed visited Kabul just before the formation of the government. Faiz wanted an inclusive government that will include women and leaders of other political affiliations. However, the views of hardliners prevailed and Faiz suggestions were not accepted. The Taliban is also suspicious of the Pakistani intent since many top Taliban leaders were placed under arrest by the Pakistani government during the 20 years of occupation of Afghanistan by the United States.

The Taliban is trying to convince the world that the present Government is different from the earlier Taliban government. The Taliban had earlier held extensive parleys with former President Hamid Karzai, Abdullah Abdullah and Gul Agha Sherzai, who served as governor of Nangarhar and Kandahar provinces. However, the actions of the Taliban do not speak well of their intentions. The Taliban diktat forbade women from going to workplaces, the Taliban cabinet does not include any woman members, and the Taliban has said that girls will not study alongside boys.

Taliban Government is not inclusive

The demography of Afghanistan is highly fractured. The majority of Pashtu’s are adherents of the Sunni faith of Islam. However, there is a sizeable population of the Shia community. The Northern parts of Afghanistan which was once the stronghold of the Lion of Panjshir, Ahmad Shah Masoud is inhabited by the Tazik and the Hazara community whom the Taliban considers as heretics.

Al Jazeera reports that the real power rests with the secretive shura (the advisory council) which is located in Kandahar. The current chief of Taliban, Hibutallah Akhunzada, is based. This group is the real decision-maker in Afghanistan and holds all the power.

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Manoj Nair

Manoj is a passionate writer who loves writing on a variety of subjects including trivia, retro movies, unique and unkno More »
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