Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s former special representative for Afghanistan, has said that the Taliban face significant challenges in governance, describing their learning process as time-consuming.
Durrani noted that the Taliban are struggling to adapt to modern governance standards. Speaking about the ongoing Doha process, he emphasized that while the U.S. and Western countries focus heavily on human rights, a regional approach is necessary to address Afghanistan’s broader issues.
He also expressed concern over the growing activities of extremist groups like ISIS and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan.
“We are witnessing daily operations by TTP and ISIS-Khorasan,” Durrani said. “ISIS-Khorasan’s activities are well known. They have carried out attacks in Iran, Russia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Pakistan.”
Durrani warned that if Afghanistan’s situation is neglected, the world could face attacks similar to those of September 11.
In a conversation with Ambassadors’ Lounge, Durrani also spoke about rising resistance to Taliban rule.
“If distrust continues to grow within Afghanistan’s multi-ethnic society, you cannot simply resolve the situation in the name of Islam,” he said, pointing out the ethnic divisions even within the Taliban ranks.
Responding to a question about the difference between the Baloch independence movement and the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), Durrani described the Baloch movement as secular, contrasting it with the TTP, which claims to follow Islam.
“I doubt they [the TTP] truly represent Islamic values, as they seem unaware of what those values entail. While a political settlement with the Baloch movement is possible, the TTP shows no interest in pursuing politics.”
Durrani.
“I doubt they [the TTP] truly represent Islamic values, as they seem unaware of what those values entail. While a political settlement with the Baloch movement is possible, the TTP shows no interest in pursuing politics,” he said.
Durrani’s remarks come as he was removed from his post as Pakistan’s special envoy to Afghanistan this week.
