Taliban’s misjudgment

Leadership in Kabul must consider forming an inclusive govt and accommodating diversity of opinion

Afghan Taliban are in a denial mode when it comes to pluralising the society. Their orthodox form of governance is at the root cause of all ills, and this is where they are non-receptive to domestic and international concerns. The announcement on Wednesday from the Taliban 2.0 leadership that there is a complete ban on political activities has simply put the regime in bad light.

It is an open secret that the militia had promised to open up the society and form an inclusive government by accommodating all shades of opinions in decision-making of the war-torn country. But this new decree and the argument on their part that the interim government in Kabul comprises ‘representatives’ from all ethnicities and tribes and is broad-based does not carry merit. Primarily, it seems, the country is being run under a militia movement, and no serious efforts are at hand to sow the seeds of pluralism and harness a socio-political mosaic of diversity. This is one of the biggest drawbacks, and will keep the Afghan society in tatters and disarray for a long time to come.

The Taliban’s state of mind that none of the political parties are competent enough when it comes to their standing on Shariah (Islamic law), and they are corrupt to the core, is nothing but an excuse. The Taliban are unnecessarily being judgmental, and this is where the problem begins in under-developed societies as a major chunk of it is isolated and denied a role in nation-building.

Afghanistan is not the only state, per se, to take such a call, as many of the Asian and African states had mis-adventured through the same prism. Countries where a particular class of men reign at the helm of affairs usually come out with similar dictums to prolong their rule, and in doing so they inflict irreparable damage to the social fabric. The leadership in Kabul must reconsider its decision, and take the entire society along. It will help them in fighting the faceless enemy of terrorism, and mushroom a culture of co-existence and compassion.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 20^th, 2023.

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