Afghan embassy in Delhi denounces new Taliban cabinet

After Taliban announced the formation of an ‘interim’ government in the country, the Foreign Ministry of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan issued a statement condemning the move. Established in accordance with the 2004 Afghan constitution, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan was in power in Kabul until the Taliban takeover on August 15 of this year.

Taliban, which has taken control of all Afghan territory, with Panjshir falling into its hands, announced its new interim government on Wednesday morning. The government will be headed by Mullah Muhammad Hassan Akhund as the prime minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The government with no representation of women and lack of adequate representation of ethnic minorities, Afghanistan’s embassy in New Delhi on Wednesday issued a statement in the name of the Afghan Foreign Ministry and “condemned” the announcement by the Taliban of its “so-called cabinet” as “illegitimate and unjustifiable”.  While Taliban have established a separate foreign ministry of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, a number of political appointees stationed at Afghan embassies in parts of the world by the Ashraf Ghani administration continue to raise their voice against the Taliban takeover. The statement came hours after ousted Afghan president Ashraf Ghani defended his decision to flee Kabul in the face of Taliban aggression. Expressing regret at not being able to ensure peace and stability in Afghanistan, Ghani said he never intended to abandon the Afghan people.