China Daily Global Edition (USA)
Taliban says it wants inclusive government
The Taliban has pledged to establish an inclusive government for Afghanistan and has promised amnesty, peace and women’s rights, as its leaders are trying to display a different image.
The Taliban does not seek any internal or external enemies, and it wants to have good relations with everybody in order to develop the nation’s economy and achieve prosperity, the group’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Tuesday at its first news conference since Taliban’s takeover of the capital of Afghanistan on Sunday.
“We don’t want to repeat any conflict, any war again,” he said. “Animosities have come to an end, and we would like to live peacefully. We don’t want any internal and external enemies.”
All Afghans would have representation in the future setup in Afghanistan, Mujahid said, as talks and consultations are continuing with politicians on the formation of the new government.
Women could also work and study in different fields and would be offered all rights within Islamic principles, as women are a vital part of society, he added.
The Taliban have encouraged women to return to work and have allowed girls to return to school, handing out Islamic headscarves at the door. A female news anchor interviewed a Taliban official on Monday in a TV studio.
“We have pardoned everybody for the benefit of stability or peace in Afghanistan,” Mujahid said. He also called on Afghans not to leave the country.
Mujahid reiterated that the Taliban has offered a full amnesty to Afghans who worked for the United States and the Western-backed government, saying that “nobody will go to their doors to ask why they helped. We would like to assure the international community that there will be no discrimination.”
China hopes that the various factions in Afghanistan will resolve their differences through dialogue and consultation, avoid new wars and humanitarian disasters, and promote a smooth transition in Afghanistan, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
As the situation in Afghanistan has undergone major changes, China respects the wishes and choices of the Afghan people, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a regular news briefing in Beijing.
The top priority is to restore peace, stability and order as soon as possible, and to avoid unnecessary casualties and a large number of refugees, he added.
The Taliban spokesman added that Afghanistan wanted to have very good relations with foreign countries in order to revive its economy and ensure prosperity, and the Taliban would use the country’s natural resources for national reconstruction.
As a close neighbor and friend of Afghanistan, Zhao said China will continue to support the peaceful reconstruction of Afghanistan and provide assistance within its capabilities.
He added that China expects the Taliban to resolutely crack down on all kinds of terrorist forces, and earnestly fulfill its commitment not to allow any forces to use Afghan territory to threaten the security of neighboring countries.
Mujahid said at the news conference that the Taliban would not allow Afghanistan to be used as a base for attacking other countries, as it was in the years before the terrorist attacks against the United States on Sept 11, 2001.
“Afghanistan’s soil is not going to be used against anybody . ... We can assure the international community of that,” the spokesman said when asked about the risk of Afghanistan hosting al-Qaida militants.
In another development, Taliban leaders will not stay in the “shadow of secrecy”, unlike during the past 20 years when its leaders have lived largely in secret, according to a senior Taliban official, who declined to be identified and was quoted by Reuters.
“Slowly, gradually, the world will see all our leaders, there will be no shadow of secrecy,” the official said on Wednesday.