New Delhi: Weeks after seizing control of Afghanistan, the Taliban are expected to announce the newly-formed government on Friday that is likely to be helmed by the insurgent group’s top spiritual leader Sheikh Haibatullah Akhundzada.
The announcement over the formation of a new government on the lines of Iran is likely to be made after Friday prayers. Mullah Sheikh Haibatullah Akhundzada, the top religious leader of the Taliban, will be made the supreme leader of Afghanistan, according to ABP News sources.
This leadership is similar to Iran where the supreme leader is the country's highest political and religious authority. The 60-year old religious leader will hold the position above that of the President and be in charge of crucial appointments including the heads of the army, government, and the judicial system. The decision of the supreme leader is final in the political, religious, and military affairs of the country.
What are signs of engagement?
The signs of engagement efforts can be seen after humanitarian flights restarted in parts of the country, linking the Pakistani capital Islamabad with Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan and Kandahar in the south, as per AFP.
The new political establishment by the Taliban will be closely watched by the international fraternity over its vow to rule Afghanistan with greater tolerance, especially on women's rights.
China's foreign ministry had promised to keep its embassy in Afghanistan open and to "beef up" relations and humanitarian assistance, according to the tweet of Taliban spokesperson.
The Taliban have already appointed governors, police chiefs, and police commanders for provinces and districts. The name of the new administration system, the national flag, and the national anthem are yet to be decided.
The new leaders have promised to be more accommodating than during their first stint where it ruled between 1996 and 2001, when it came to power after years of conflict, first the Soviet invasion of 1979, and then a bloody civil war.
Since the withdrawal of the US troops, women in Afghanistan took out a procession outside the provincial office, raising their voice for the right to work. Around 50 women in In the western city of Herat came out in the streets on Thursday to protest the right to work and over the lack of female participation in the new government.
However, it is unlikely that women were unlikely to be included in the new government, as per the news agency.