Even as the Taliban hailed the exit of US troops from Afghanistan and celebrated “complete independence” on Tuesday, it is facing immense pressure as it sets about forming the government. With all its international aid frozen, the military group will have to pay salaries, wages and other bills from next month.
The Taliban captured Afghanistan in a stunning military coup, which ended with the capture of the national capital Kabul on August 15. The US withdrawal came just before the end of an August 31 deadline set by President Joe Biden to call time on America’s longest war.
Now, with an international spotlight on what happens next in Afghanistan after the US withdrawal, the Taliban has said it will soon be forming the government. It is likely to be a broad-based government, as asked by the international community. Right now, however, the government’s face will be interim.
Pakistan is said to be playing a major role in the formation of the government in Afghanistan. A couple of days ago, Pakistan’s national security adviser Moeed Yusuf, in an interview to a British newspaper, had allegedly warned the West that if it does not “immediately recognise” the Taliban, it will face a “second 9/11”. However, Yusuf later wrote to the newspaper to clarify and retract the interview and called it a “mischaracterisation”. The Pakistan High Commission in UK has issued the publication a formal demand for the story to be retracted and corrected, according to a statement from Yusuf’s office.
Sources in the Taliban said consultation about the formation of the government was in its final stages. “We are looking to the whole world to help and assist us for future,” sources said.
Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told a news conference in Islamabad that he expected that a new “consensus government will be formed in the coming days in Afghanistan”.
The Taliban is tasked with reviving a war-shattered economy without foreign aid running into billions of dollars that was an advantage for the previous regime.
Earlier in the day, after the last of US troops left Kabul, the group said the defeat of America was a “big lesson for other invaders and for our future generation”. “It is also a lesson for the world,” Mujahid said from the runway of Kabul airport.
The Taliban, however, have repeatedly promised a more tolerant and open brand of rule compared with their first stint in power, and Mujahid continued that theme.
“We want to have good relations with US and the world. We welcome good diplomatic relations with them all,” he said.
All eyes will now turn to how the Taliban handles its first few days with sole authority over the country, with a sharp focus on whether it will allow other foreigners and Afghans to leave the country.
(With agency inputs)
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