Afghanistan: Taliban Prepare to Present Their Government – Economy Collapses

The Taliban who have seized power in Afghanistan are preparing to present their government today, while the country’s economy is in danger of collapsing.

Islamist official Ahmad Mutaki posted on social media sites that a ceremony was being held at the presidential palace in Kabul, while the private television station Tolo reported that the announcement of the new government was imminent.

The Taliban’s top leader, Haibatullah Ahunja, is expected to have the final say in the cabinet, and there will be a president, a Taliban official told Reuters last month.

Crucial to Afghanistan’s economy is whether international donors and investors will consider the new government legitimate, with analysts expecting a sharp deterioration in the country’s economic situation following the return of the Taliban to power.

Afghanistan: The previous regime under the extreme version of sharia

The Taliban ruled Afghanistan through an unelected council from 1996 to 2001, imposing an extreme version of sharia. This time the Islamist movement wants to present a more moderate person and is committed to protecting human rights and not retaliating against its old opponents.

But the United States, the European Union and others are skeptical of the Taliban’s assertions, saying that formal recognition of their government and financial assistance to Afghanistan will depend on their actions.

“We will not take into account their words, we will take into account their actions,” US Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland told a news conference on Wednesday.

“So they have a lot to prove (…) and they also have a lot to gain, if they can govern Afghanistan in a very different way than the last time they were in power,” he added.

Gunnar Wiegand, EU Commissioner for Asia and the Pacific, said the Union would not formally recognize the Islamist movement unless it met certain conditions, such as forming a government with full participation, respect for human rights and freedom. workers’ access to humanitarian organizations.

“There is no doubt between the EU member states and in the G7: we have to have contacts with the Taliban, we have to talk to the Taliban, we have to influence the Taliban, we have to use the means at our disposal,” he told European Parliament.

“But we will not rush to recognize this new government or gain formal relations,” he added.

Financial collapse

Humanitarian organizations have warned that economic disaster is imminent in Afghanistan, as the long drought and conflict have forced thousands of families to flee their homes.

Afghanistan is in dire need of money, and the Taliban are unlikely to have quick access to the Afghan Central Bank’s roughly $ 10 billion foreign exchange.

The Taliban have asked banks to reopen, but strict limits have been set on cash withdrawals, with long queues forming.

“Everything is expensive now, prices are rising every day,” said Zelgai, a Kabul resident.

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