Khalilzad Branded as Afghanistan’s “Invisible President” and Architect of Collapse

DID Press: Hezb-e-Islami party, led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, launched a scathing attack on former U.S. diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad, describing him as the “invisible president of Afghanistan” and accusing him of orchestrating Taliban’s dominance at home and abroad.

In a sharply worded statement, the party claimed that the Taliban government remains under Khalilzad’s influence both domestically and internationally. It argued that Afghanistan is still not free of foreign control and that the fate of millions of Afghanistan people lies in the hands of a man long aligned with U.S. interests in Kabul.

The criticism comes after Khalilzad urged Islamabad to pursue dialogue rather than military confrontation with Tahrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), amid rising insecurity in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Critics argue this mirrors the “failed prescription” imposed on Afghanistan through Doha Agreement, which they say brought only bloodshed, terrorism, and political collapse.

Regional analysts contend that Khalilzad continues to promote costly and unsuccessful strategies that plunged Afghanistan into crisis, and is now attempting to replicate them in Pakistan. They stress he is less a neutral mediator than a figure advancing foreign interests under the guise of conflict resolution—an “architect of turmoil” whose shadow still looms over the region.