July 08, 2022

Afghans' hope for a representation crushed by the Taliban​

topic:	Political violence
located:	Afghanistan
editor:	Shadi Khan Saif

With a poorly orchestrated show of what was hopefully thought to be a step towards some sort of public say in government affairs, the Taliban, at last week’s so-called grand consultative session, simply reproduced and re-imposed its existing policies of expulsion and discrimination.

Hundreds of people, mostly male religious clerics, were gathered in Kabul from different parts of the country for a three-day long session of speeches on the future of the war-ravaged country. It simply reinforced the fears of reversing the little gains towards plurality and inclusivity that Afghanistan achieved in the past two decades of a fragile democracy.

No prominent public figures were invited or given the chance to have their say. The attendees’ speeches were largely in line with the ruling group's policies and revealed little or no sign of the deep resentment and pain felt by the Afghan people either living in the country or in different parts of the world as refugees.

There were no female representatives, no pledges to secure education, jobs and other basic human rights for women and girls. The little and veiled criticism came from a few speakers in the shape of kind suggestions, to which the powerful regime took no obligation to abide. The group's top leader made a dramatic larger-than-life public appearance at the gathering to dominate the proceedings.

Hundreds of complaints have been recorded by the Taliban's own offices against grim violations committed by its own fighters in the national security forces. Unconfirmed reports, which do not reach the media, suggest that the situation is even worse than is covered. On the service delivery fronts, the public is literally on its own as the country faces international sanctions and a freeze of state funds by the US. Afghanistan’s youth in particular is hopeless and seeking all possible avenues to flee the country. None of these concerns were practically addressed at the conference. 

So what was the purpose of the meeting? Was it just meant to impress the international community towards recognising their government? Will it serve that purpose?

All in all, the highly guarded meeting staged at the premises of the Loya Jirga - which is the place for traditional gathering of elders on important matters of national interest - gave an impression of a victorious group's huddle to reaffirm its grip over power instead of moving towards a representative system of governance that is willing to serve or is open to criticism and improvement.

Photo by Farid Ershad

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