E-Paper
‘Ilegitimate’: Ashraf Ghani’s foreign ministry speaks out against Taliban regime
Ashraf Ghani also explained his decision to flee Afghanistan after Taliban trooped into the capital city, saying it as the only way to keep the guns silent and save Kabul and her 6 million citizens
NEW DELHI: The foreign ministry under Afghanistan’s erstwhile government led by Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday described the Taliban’s interim cabinet as “illegitimate” and said all Afghan foreign missions around the world would continue their duties based on the constitution.
The statement, issued in the name of the foreign ministry of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, contended the “so-called Taliban cabinet will result in undermining Afghanistan’s political, ethnic and social diversity, lead to increased tensions and also undermine the prospect of a comprehensive and lasting peace in the country”.
In a separate statement, Ghani, who fled Afghanistan after Taliban forces marched into the capital on August 15, explained the reasons for his abrupt departure and sought to dismiss allegations that he had left the country with millions of dollars and other assets.
Also Read: ‘Night before Ashraf Ghani fled..’: Blinken reveals his last call with Ghani
Ghani, who has faced widespread criticism from Afghans and segments of the international community for not standing up to the Taliban, said: “I left at the urging of the palace security who advised me that to remain risked setting off the same horrific street-to-street fighting the city had suffered during the Civil War of the 1990s.”
He added, “Leaving Kabul was the most difficult decision of my life, but I believed it was the only way to keep the guns silent and save Kabul and her 6 million citizens. I have devoted 20 years of my life to helping the Afghan people work toward building a democratic, prosperous, and sovereign state – it was never my intent to abandon the people or that vision.”
Describing accusations that he fled Afghanistan with a large sum of money as “categorically false”, Ghani said corruption was a “plague” that crippled Afghanistan for decades. “I have publicly declared all of my assets. My wife’s family inheritance has also been disclosed and remains listed in her home country of Lebanon. I welcome an official audit or financial investigation under UN auspices or any other appropriate independent body to prove the veracity of my statements here,” he said.
The statement from the Afghan foreign ministry said the Taliban’s interim cabinet “goes against the will of the absolute majority of the people of Afghanistan, international agreements, relevant United Nations Security Council and United Nations Human Rights Council resolutions” and undermines national interests.
The Taliban, it said, had “reaffirmed their blatant disregard and violation of the fundamental rights and important role of Afghan women and other segments of the society”. The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan’s tri-coloured is “flying at all Afghan diplomatic missions, and the constitution is main source of legitimacy for upholding national interests, territorial integrity, sovereignty, Islamic values and independence of Afghanistan, it added.
Meanwhile, the National Resistance Front (NRF) of Afghanistan, which is led by leaders from Panjshir such as Ahmad Massoud, said in a statement issued on Tuesday that the Taliban’s caretaker cabinet was “illegal and a clear sign of the group’s enmity with the Afghan people”. It added, “We call on all Afghan citizens to continue their resistance against the occupation by the Taliban and its terrorist allies.”
The NRD contended the “illegitimate regime in Kabul is a threat to stability and security of Afghanistan, the region and the world”. It called on the UN, European Union, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and countries to “hold off recognition of and refrain from diplomatic ties with the Taliban’s regime”.
