Hashmat Ghani, the brother of former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, spoke to NDTV
New Delhi:
Hashmat Ghani, brother of former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, told NDTV on Sunday that he had “accepted” the Taliban to avoid instability and had chosen to stay in the country to help in the transition period, but had not offered the groups their “support.”
Ghani told NDTV that these were “very different things” and that his acceptance was to save political and economic problems in his country (which was underlined by the “devastating” exit of business leaders) after the Taliban took control. .
“I have accepted the Taliban but I do not support them … ‘supporting’ is a very strong word. What happens once they have control … it remains to be seen,” said Ghani, a prominent businessman and leader of Said the nomadic population of Kochi in Afghanistan.
“I don’t think so. They (the Taliban) have shown courtesy to Afghan businesses. They keep saying they will allow women to work, we are sorry for the top leaders … we hope they do,” he said when asked if there are any. there could be violence, particularly at Kabul airport, after the departure of Western forces.
He also said it is “important to bridge the divide in Afghan society” between the social and cultural perspective of the Taliban and the contemporary world, and called on educated classes to be open to the idea of working with the Taliban to restore economy. .
The acquisition of Kabul by the Taliban prompted locals and foreign nationals to flee the country.
Ghani’s statements come as a video of him apparently promised to support a Taliban who presented himself as a moderate version of the brutal group that ruled 1996-2001 was released this week.
NDTV could not verify this video independently.
“They (the Taliban) know security. They can handle it very well, but a government is more than security and this is where educated classes can help. I was left behind … to convince the educated and business community not to leave … The departure of business leaders is devastating, ”he said.
A 20-year war between the Taliban and U.S.-backed government forces, a drop in local spending due to the departure of foreign troops, and a fall in the currency fuel an economic crisis in the country.
The Taliban seized control of Kabul last Sunday after a surprisingly rapid and relatively bloodless defeat of major cities in a ten-day period that followed the withdrawal of Western troops.
Since then, the hardline Islamist group has tried to project a softer front by claiming, for example, that women will have rights, including education and employment, and that the media will be independent.
Taliban members, who were carrying weapons, went door-to-door in major cities this week, witnesses told Reuters news agency, telling people to return to work. While the visits were made as part of measures to revive a battered economy, many told Reuters it was also designed to instill fear in new leaders.
People wave Afghan flags during anti-Taliban protest in Jalalabad, Afghanistan
And a violent response to the protests, to news that an Afghan journalist is not allowed to work, and other door-to-door visits to eliminate rivals suggest that the “moderate” stance may not last.
Ghani, however, reiterated the Taliban’s promise to allow human rights, specifically for women, and said he expects senior leaders to act in this regard once a functioning government is formed.
He also spoke of the U.S. decision to freeze about $ 9.5 billion in Afghan central bank assets; he criticized the measure and said it denied Afghans access to money to rebuild their country.
In a brief but extensive discussion with NDTV, Ghani also said that India, which has so far taken a stand-by position, will have “no choice but to maintain a political relationship” with the Taliban.
He also attacked Vice President Amrullah Saleh, who has joined hands with Ahmad Massoud, the son of an anti-Taliban fighter, to lead a military resistance that claims to have recaptured three districts.
Ghani called Saleh a “fool” and said he had misled his brother, against whom he claimed a murder plot. He also denied reports that he had stolen money before fleeing.
“I was expelled from Afghanistan … I didn’t even have a chance to take off my slippers and stretch my boots … I arrived empty-handed,” Ashraf Ghani told AFP news agency.
With contributions from AFP, Reuters