The Message of Political Figures’ Gathering in Turkey was Clear: either All or None!
Either all or none was the clearest message of the meeting in Turkey and its coalition’s output, and the Taliban certainly copied that correctly. But what is decisive is that where will be the future of the current regime is decided: in Kabul or in another place!
Many anti-Taliban political figures attended a meeting hosted by Abdul Rashid Dustom in Ankara, capital of Turkey, on Tuesday 17th May, to discuss how to counter the Taliban politically and militarily.
Abdulrab Rasoul Sayyaf, Ata Mohammad Noor, Karim Khalili, Mohammad Mohaqeq, Abdul Hadi Arghandiwal, Salahuddin Rabbani, Ahmad Zia Massoud, Abdul Latif Pedram, Amrullah Saleh, Nilufar Ebrahimi, Shukria Barakzai, Masoumah Khavari, Ahmadwali Massoud, Mohammad Alam Izadyar, FazalAhmad Ma’nawi, Ahmad Massoud was invited to the meeting. Many of them attended the meeting, and some sent their representatives due to travel restrictions. Some, such as Yunus Qanuni and Ahmad Zia Massoud, attended the meeting virtually. Ahmad Wali Massoud attended the meeting along with his delegation on behalf of Ahmad Massoud, the leader of the National Resistance Front (NRF).
The “Supreme Council of Resistance for the Salvation of Afghanistan” is a fresh establishment that emerged from this meeting and aims to bring a “structured political alternative” to the Taliban. Establishing a decentralized parliamentary system in Afghanistan, welcoming elections at various levels of leadership in the society, respect for human rights and women’s rights, and protecting the values Afghanistan has achieved over the past twenty years, are the main goals of this new coalition.
All of these political figures, along with their plans and organizations, will be on board with the “Supreme Council of Resistance for the salvation of Afghanistan”. However, they agreed that the leadership council should work in consultation with each other. The council is set to work structurally and has a separate secretariat and committees.
With the birth of this new political coalition, the military fronts against the Taliban across Afghanistan are supposed to act unitedly and under a single umbrella; if such moves happen, it can give the resistance a national image and boost its impact on the process of changing the equations of war and peace in the country. Although this is a political coalition, it considers the creation and keeping of military pressure on the Taliban as necessary and inevitable.
While most members of the new coalition remained in political silence and isolation for nine months after the fall of Ashraf Ghani’s government, they did not even react verbally to what happened and what is happening now. Many experts, however, believe that what has brought together Afghanistan’s veteran and practically retired politicians, is the Taliban’s unilateral and monopolistic steps in governance, taking power and excluding others.
Such a provocative approach has devastating consequences, which will first affect the Taliban and then lead to the continuation of war, insecurity, and instability on national and global dimensions; as Afghan leaders from different socio-political spectrums and tribes cannot cope with the current situation. The people are also unable to adapt to it. Today, people are different from twenty years ago. They have different perspectives and ambitions regarding civil rights and civil claims. This difference is so deep and fundamental that even if the fugitive politicians do not engage in systematic operational response to the current situation, the people will not be able to cope with it in the long run and comply with what the Taliban regime wants them to do.
Based on this fact, it seems that what has happened since the birth of the new political coalition in Turkey, is also supported by the people. This is because in addition to the undeniable influence of each of the political leaders of this coalition among the people, the conditions imposed by the Taliban regime in terms of ethnic approaches and human rights restrictions, inevitably drive people away from them and pull them towards the same traditional political leaders.
Therefore, it is prudent, wise, and just that the Taliban should now heed the coalition’s call for intensive and comprehensive negotiations based on peace across the country and the formation of an inclusive national government, and refrain from the authoritarian selfishness that arises from the position of power. Otherwise, Afghanistan will once again fall into a bloody and endless war that will neither allow the Taliban to rule Afghanistan consistently and continuously nor will it silence other exiled factions and political streams.
Either all or none was the clearest message of the meeting in Turkey and its coalition’s output, and the Taliban certainly copied that correctly. But what is decisive is where will be the future of the current regime is decided: in Kabul or another place!
Note: The opinions expressed in this article submitted to the Didpress agency are of the author and do not reflect the policy of the Didpress agency!
