Waheedullah Hashimi, a senior member of the Taliban who has access to the group’s decision-making, said Afghanistan may be governed by a ruling council now that the Taliban has taken over. While talking to the news agency Reuters, Hashimi added that the Islamist militant movement’s supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, would likely remain in overall charge.
While the Taliban are still deliberating on the structure of the government, the system of the government is clear, said the senior member, adding that it will be “an Islamic government based on Sharia laws, there would be no democratic system at all because it doesn’t have any base in our country.” As the group is planning governance like that of its earlier regime, the member explained that there will be no democratic system at all because it does not have any base in the country. Abdul Ghani Baradar, who is one of the founding members of the group, is likely to be the president of the Taliban rule in Afghanistan. But Hashimi said any of the three deputies of Haibatullah Akhundzada might play the role of president. Apart from Baradar, the other deputies are Mawlavi Yaqoob, son of Mullah Omar who founded the Taliban and Sirajuddin Haqqani, a leader of the powerful militant Haqqani network.
The Taliban would also reach out to former pilots and soldiers from the Afghan armed forces to join its ranks, Waheedullah Hashimi, who has access to the group’s decision-making, added in an interview. How successful that recruitment is remains to be seen. Thousands of soldiers have been killed by Taliban insurgents over the last 20 years, and recently the group targeted US-trained Afghan pilots because of their pivotal role.
