With Akhund as PM, Taliban try to balance power-sharing among factions: Report

In an Afghanistan free of US-troops, many parties have come forward as contenders for power. Credit: AFP Photo

Three weeks after rolling into the capital Kabul, the Taliban are yet to finalise their new regime. On Monday, the Taliban claimed total control over Afghanistan, saying they had won the key battle for the Panjshir Valley, the last remaining holdout of resistance against their rule.

With the global leaders closely watching the Taliban's move and who will lead the new government in Afghanistan, many suspect the delay is due to disagreements between the extremist group's multiple factions.

Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Monday that a new Afghan government would be announced soon, but he did not specify when. Afghanistan's new rulers have pledged to be more "inclusive" than during their first stint in power, with a government that represents Afghanistan's complex ethnic makeup -- though women are unlikely to be included at the top levels. Women's freedoms in Afghanistan were sharply curtailed under the Taliban's 1996-2001 rule.

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In an Afghanistan free of US troops, many parties have come forward as contenders for power. But the three key contenders include the Doha unit of the Taliban headed by Mullah Baradar, the Haqqani Network, a semi-independent terror outfit that operates in eastern Afghanistan, and the Kandahar faction of the Taliban.

As a compromise between rival factions of the Taliban, the outfit is planning to put forth the name of relatively lesser known Taliban leader, Mullah Hassan Akhund as the next Prime Minister of Afghanistan, according to a report by NDTV quoting sources.

Also Read — Taliban co-founder Baradar likely to lead new Afghanistan government

Akhund, who is on a UN terror list, heads Taliban's leadership council, the "Rehbari Shura", and has served as a minister in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan before the war with the US started in 2001. Often seen as a "lightweight", Akhund appointed to the PM post would pave the wave for Mullah Baradar and Mullah Omar's son Mullah Yakub to serve as his deputies.

According to the report, Siraj Haqqani of the Haqqani Network may be picked to head the powerful interior ministry -- equivalent to India's home ministry, while Taliban's top cleric, the shadowy leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, will likely be the "Supreme Leader".

Also Read — Pakistan spymaster in Kabul to play mediator between Haqqani Network and Taliban

The Taliban reportedly arrived at this power-sharing formula during Pakistan military intelligence ISI chief Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed's stay in Kabul last week. The Pakistan spymaster and his team were invited by the Taliban last week, reportedly to mediate between the factions. The visit, at a time when vital hectic negotiations are under way between the Taliban top deck leadership and the Haqqani Network over the formation of government in Afghanistan, has sparked speculation that it is the ISI which has major influence over the Taliban.

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