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The Taliban government expanded its interim cabinet by appointing deputy ministers on Tuesday. But he didn’t name any women, doubling down on a hard line despite the international outcry that followed their initial presentation of an all-male cabinet earlier this month.
The international community has warned that it will judge the Taliban on its actions and that recognition of a Taliban-led government will be tied to the treatment of women and minorities. During their previous rule over Afghanistan in the late 1990s, the Taliban denied girls and women access to school, work and public life.
Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid defended the latest cabinet additions at a press conference on Tuesday, saying it included members of ethnic minorities, such as the Hazaras, and that women could be added later.
Mujahid bristled at the international conditions for recognition, saying there was no reason to refuse it.
“It is the responsibility of the United Nations to recognize our government [and] so that other countries, including European, Asian and Islamic countries, have diplomatic relations with us, ”he said.
He also took the time to announce several appointments, including ministers and deputy ministers, to the Taliban’s interim government.
The nominations included personalities from Panjshir and Baghlan. The Panjshir is home to the National Resistance Front, which is the only large-scale effort to try to prevent the Taliban from taking over the entire country.
Calls for inclusiveness continue
Baghlan has also seen pockets of resistance in some districts over the past month. By pointing out that three of the new posts would be given to residents of Panjshir, Baghlan and Sar-e-Pul, provinces with large Tajik and Uzbek populations, the Taliban appears to be sending a message of inclusiveness.
The Taliban presented the cabinet as a caretaker government, suggesting changes were still possible, but did not say whether there would be election day.
Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Kabul, said the new announcement is unlikely to gain the consent of the international community.
“The international community… said that we want a strong interim government, which represents the different ethnic groups – the Hazara, the Uzbeks, the Tajiks – and also represents the members of the old power who occupy key positions in this interim government” , said Ahelbarra. noted.
The international community wants clear signals from the Taliban that those represented in the interim government will represent women as well as minorities when they draft a new constitution and electoral law, he added.
“The international community is far from convinced that this interim government is meeting the needs of the Afghan people,” Ahelbarra said.
Neighboring Pakistan is also among the countries calling on the Taliban to establish an inclusive government.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Imran Khan noted in a message on Twitter, he “initiated a dialogue with the Taliban for an inclusive Afghan government including the Tajiks, Hazaras and Uzbeks”.
The inclusive government will ensure “peace and a stable Afghanistan,” he added in remarks rejected by the Taliban.
Although Mujahid did not comment on the comments, other Taliban officials said they “reserve the right to have our own system,” according to the Afghan news agency Pajhwok. reported.
On Tuesday, Mujahid was also asked about recent restrictions on girls and women, including a decision not to allow girls in grades 6 to 12 to return to classrooms for the time being.
Mujahid suggested that this was a temporary decision, and that “soon it will be announced when they can go to school”.
He said plans were underway to allow their return, but did not elaborate. The boys in grades 6 to 12 returned to school over the weekend.
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