In Afghanistan, Taliban says 'foreign ideology should not be imposed on Afghans': Report

Acting Foreign Minister of the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan government, Amir Khan Muttaqi, said on Saturday, March 12, that a foreign-style administration should not be imposed on Afghanistan. During the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey, he further stressed that Afghans are capable of choosing their own administration. According to Tolo News, Muttaqi revealed that attempts are being made to promote government inclusion. The Turkish Foreign Ministry has invited Muttaqi and his accompanying team to the Antalya Diplomacy Forum. 

At the forum, Muttaqi said, “Foreign versions (of the government) and foreign ideology must not be imposed on Afghans. The former version of the (government) tried but it did not succeed," Tolo News reported. He went on to say that the Taliban government has been striving to save the Afghan economy and has made headway in various areas, which include government steps to avert an economic meltdown. 

The acting minister further stated that a weak Afghan government would benefit no one, and that attempts to destabilise the existing administration must cease. Muttaqi added that the Taliban government had fulfilled all of the requirements for international recognition. 

'Lack of acknowledgement of Afghan government punishing entire Afghanistan'

Furthermore, Fatima Gailani, the former head of the Afghan Red Crescent Society, claimed that the lack of acknowledgement of the Afghan government is not only punishing the Taliban's leadership but also the entire country of Afghanistan. 

While speaking at the forum, Uzbekistan's Foreign Minister, Abdulaziz Kamilov, said that the condition in Afghanistan has a direct effect on the region and that they desire security and stability in Afghanistan. 

It is worth noting that in early September 2021, the Taliban formed an interim administration led by Mohammad Hassan Akhund, although this government is yet to be recognised internationally. Some organisations and governments, on the other hand, have stated their willingness to continue delivering humanitarian help to Afghanistan. 

The situation in Afghanistan is fragile: UN Chief

Meanwhile, in the month of February 2022, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the situation in Afghanistan remains fragile as well as unknown even after over six months since the Taliban took power, as several political, socioeconomic, and humanitarian shocks resonate across the war-torn nation. 

In the UN chief's report on 'The Situation in Afghanistan and Its Implications for International Peace and Security,'  Guterres said that the "best way" for the Taliban to enhance stability and future global support is for them to avert the exclusion that characterised their previous experience in power, as per media reports.  

(Image: @turkembkabul/Twitter)