After a day-long reflections on Afghanistan by National Security Advisors (NSAs) of eight neighboring countries then on Wednesday, it has come relatively apparent that the Taliban will continue to hold the arm of power in Kabul. It has also come clear that piecemeal from Afghan people themselves or any rival Sunni Salafists like the Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP) or al Qaida, no bone can remove the Taliban from power as global powers neither have the intentions, energy nor the mind space to attack humongous problems of Afghanistan.
Now that the global community has mentally accepted the Taliban governance in Kabul, it’s time that the Sunni Pashtun force came out of the murk and started governing the Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan in the humorless and not stay for acceptance in UN. Since the Taliban enthralled Kabul on August 15, its Supreme leader Mullah Haibatullah Akundzada has only been heard not seen, giving rise to the veritably physical actuality of the clergyperson. According to Kabul watchers, none could confirm the physical presence of the Emir-ul-Momim when he was said to have made his first public appearance in Kandahar on October 31. He was maybe last seen at the Pakistan Army cantonment in Karachi before this time.
While secretiveness compass Mullah Akhundzada in Afghanistan, there are reports that Pakistan deep state backed Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani constantly moves to and down on Durand Line indeed as he contests with Defence Minister Mullah Yaqoob, son of first Emir-ul-Momin Mullah Omar, for political power in Kabul. The Taliban may be good in applying the gun and asymmetric warfare, but governance is surely not their speciality as the country moves towards virtual ventilator state.
Still, also the answer lies within the country and not across in the ISI Headquarters in Rawalpindi, If the Taliban have real desire to give governance indeed under the Islamic Sharia law to Afghanistan. With Taliban’s amusement Foreign Minister Mullah Amir Khan Muttaqi in Islamabad moment for first bilateral addresses with Pakistan after seizing power and the ISI chief making frequent passages to Kabul as it was just another intelligence station, the morning is surely not good but on anticipated lines.
Indeed though Pakistan ISI is flaunting over its success in making the potent US run down empty-handed from Kabul, it’s only a matter of time that the chaos slip across the Durand Line. It’s said that Taliban Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Baradar told the ISI principal Gen Faiz Hameed that if Islamic Emirates is good for Afghanistan, the same holds good for Pakistan. The trouble in Barader’s statement is understood by Pakistan Army but not by the mercenary leadership in Islamabad. For a country where retail sugar is more expensive than petrol, the chances of sustaining a neighboring constantly strife torn country are simply missing. It’s only a matter of time when Pakistan gets dragged down by its own creation.
Rather than let Pakistan exercise its dark trades in Kabul, the Taliban should cut the umbilical cord from Rawalpindi and seek legality from the Loya Jirga (Tribal Council) and the Ulema Council (Religious Council) of Afghanistan for internal peace in the country. Legality from the people of Afghanistan won’t only bring stability to the nation that has not seen peace in numerous a decade but also respect and acceptance from the transnational community. Taliban must make a transition from a terrorist group to a political sovereign if Afghanistan has to survive. Or differently a weak vulnerable state with factual arm of power across the Durand Line will give way to opportunistic Islamic jihadist groups, which are present on an artificial scale in Pakistan. Given their Islamic duty to spread jihad innon-Muslim lands, these Islamist Takfiri (who have no compunctions in killing fellow Muslims) groups in a matter of time will start targeting a third country in the west with or without the knowledge of the Taliban, leading to another cycle of occupation, total chaos and violence. The tragedy is that Taliban leadership can always take sanctum across the Khyber and Spin Boldak passes as in the history, but the unhappy people of Afghanistan have nowhere to go.
