'Facebook Account Hacked', Claims Ex-Afghan Prez Ashraf Ghani On Twitter After Post Supporting Taliban Govt

The post appears to portray that Former Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani opposed Isaczai's address at the UN, requesting the international community to interact with the Taliban government.

File Photo

New Delhi: Former Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani on Monday claimed about the hacking of his Facebook account, minutes after a call for recognition of Taliban’s interim government was published on the page. 

"Ghani's official Facebook account hacked," the tweet on the former president’s account read. It was further stated that not all content published on this page is valid until the page is retrieved. 

The statement on Facebook, which was earlier believed to have been posted by Ashraf Ghani, urged the international community to recognise the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan because the ambassadors and representatives “do not have any control in Afghanistan” and the war-torn country is also moving to a new crisis. 

The post came as Afghanistan’s UN ambassador Ghulam Isaczai, who represents Ghani’s now-ousted government, was listed to be speaking for the country at the United Nations General Assembly.

The post appears to portray that Ghani opposed Isaczai's address at the UN, as it read: "Ghulam Mohammad Ishaq Zai is addressing the United Nations meeting today in a situation that there is no government and public support behind it."

The purported statement written in Pashto requested the international community to interact with the Taliban government to understand their situation and provide their frozen budget along with other financial support.

Taliban Seek International Recognition

The Taliban have sought international recognition and financial help to rebuild the war-battered country. 

The Taliban, who overran most of Afghanistan last month as US and NATO forces were in the final stages of their chaotic withdrawal from the country after 20 years, argue that they are now in charge and have the right to appoint ambassadors.

In a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the Taliban’s newly appointed foreign minister, Ameer Khan Muttaqi, said Ghani was “ousted” as of August 15 and that countries across the world “no longer recognise him as president.”

Therefore, Muttaqi argued, Isaczai no longer represents Afghanistan and the Taliban was nominating a new UN permanent representative, Mohammad Suhail Shaheen. He was a spokesperson for the Taliban during peace negotiations in Qatar.

“We have all the requirements needed for recognition of a government,” Shaheen told The Associated Press. 

“So we hope the UN, as a neutral world body, recognise the current government of Afghanistan,” he added. 

However, the UN has not yet recognised the change in government, therefore, have allowed Ghulam Isaczai to speak at the General Assembly high-level General Debate which ends tonight.