The Taliban’s “inclusive” government has turned out to be a farce. It is 100% male, mostly Pashtuns, including some notorious internationally designated terrorists, only two Tajiks and one Uzbek among 33 ministers. Afghanistan’s ethnic, tribal and regional fault lines are apparent, with different Taliban factions vying for power. The pragmatists have been marginalised and the hardliners, like the ISI-Haqqani network, have got an upper hand with help from Pakistan’s ISI. The Haqqani-ISI alliance had bombed the Indian Embassy in Kabul in 2008, killing 58 people, including Indian diplomats. Infighting led to a rumour of Deputy PM Mullah Baradar having been wounded, resulting in his eventual death in a Pakistani hospital. He has since issued a video message to dispel this rumour. The Al Qaida leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri, a deputy of Osama bin Laden believed to be holed up in Pakistan, has also issued a video message. He too is alive. The Taliban calling the government an interim one is a prophylactic for avoiding international criticism. They have adopted a double-faced policy of catering to international demands and domestic policies. The oath-taking ceremony, scheduled for September 11, has been deferred. Regret has been expressed for the 9/11 attacks. These flip-flops, based on ISI advice, is to seek legitimacy and acceptance, vital for international aid. Afghanistan is sinking deeper into a humanitarian crisis. The Doha agreement is showing signs of fraying. The Taliban has already accused the US of reneging on the Doha Agreement that promised that America will engage with the UN to remove Taliban members from the sanctions list by 29 May 2020. The Western media hype about a reformed Taliban that followed the Doha Agreement was to justify the handing over Afghanistan to the Taliban. The Western media also downplayed the role of Pakistan because it inevitably invites the question of why the US invariably turns a blind eye towards Islamabad’s behaviour, like smuggling nuclear technologies and developing nuclear weapons and missile capability. The US has always tolerated a certain level of Pakistan’s sponsorship of terrorism. There is an influential lobby in Washington that sees cooperation with Pakistan vital for American interests. This is American geopolitical realpolitik. The so-called reformed Taliban’s education minister has publicly trashed higher education and reiterated the importance of Sharia. Women have been told to stay at home. Those attending schools and colleges have been forced to go to segregated ones while having to wear the full burkha. One Taliban spokesperson has publicly declared that women should stay at home and produce babies. Another has said that women and men cannot work side by side. Music and female sports have been banned. Musical instruments have been destroyed. Women have come out in large numbers to protest and Taliban foot soldiers are whipping them in full view of the media. Journalists have been picked up and beaten. Many demonstrations have raised slogans against Pakistan. The Taliban is systematically killing former Afghan military personnel.
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