Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum, leader of the National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan, has called on the United Nations and countries involved in the Afghanistan issue, particularly the United States, to intensify financial pressure and efforts to politically isolate the Taliban and to halt direct assistance to the group, marking the fifth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power.
In a statement, Dostum said that such pressure could compel the Taliban to engage in a “joint national and international dialogue.” He also called for the development of a plan to establish a “free Afghanistan, free from Taliban oppression and tyranny” and founded on a constitution.
The leader of the National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan emphasized that, ultimately, an elected government should be established to pave the way for rescuing the Afghan people from what he described as “Taliban oppression and terror, global backwardness, poverty, and instability.”
Marshal Dostum also warned that the continuation of Taliban rule is not in the interests of neighboring countries or the international community. He expressed concern about the presence of armed groups in Afghanistan and alleged that the Taliban have provided shelter to dozens of terrorist organizations, including al-Qaeda, in the country.
He added that allowing these groups to receive training and conduct military activities in Afghanistan poses a threat to the region and the international community. Without action to prevent this, he warned, the region could face an “unforeseeable catastrophe.”
The leader of the National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan described the Taliban government as “illegitimate” and said that over the past five years, the group has violated the rights of women and Afghan citizens through decrees that, in his view, are “contrary to humanity and Islam.”
Dostum cited the ban on girls’ education beyond the sixth grade, restrictions on women’s employment and activities, restrictions on the movement of women and girls, their detention and surveillance, the killing and torture of former military personnel, suppression of the media, religious and ethnic discrimination, forced displacement, and the seizure of people’s land and homes as examples of Taliban actions.
He also criticized public flogging and extrajudicial executions, saying that the Taliban continue to be regarded as “terrorists” by the United Nations and a number of countries around the world and lack both domestic and international legitimacy.
Dostum added that the international community has repeatedly warned about the Taliban’s conduct, but, according to him, the group refuses to accept the positions of any institution other than those of its own leader and remains unwilling to engage in dialogue.
At the conclusion of his statement, the leader of the National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan told the Afghan people that his efforts, along with those of his colleagues, to achieve a political solution would continue. He expressed hope that these efforts would yield a positive outcome.
He concluded by saying: “A new Afghanistan after the Taliban will belong to our nation.”
Writer:Salima Aryaei
