Kabul is set to announce the new Afghanistan government anytime after discussions between the Taliban and other Afghan leaders were finalized. A lot of changes are likely to be seen given that a lot of civil services jobs that were held by women have gone vacant now after Taliban took control of Kabul on August 15.
The news comes just a couple of days after the last U.S. forces evacuated the war-torn country. The country's economy is already in shambles and on Wednesday, huge queues were seen outside ATM counters as citizens are running out of cash and struggling to make ends meet.
Announcing a New Beginning
According to a report by Afghan news agency TOLOnews, the Taliban have almost finalized talks with the Afghan leaders and will announce the new government anytime. Taliban leader Hebatullah Akhundzada is expected to lead the new government, according to the agency.
It also added that there will be a prime minister or president under the Taliban leader, who will function like the supreme leader.
"Consultations are almost finalized on the new government, and the necessary discussions have also been held about the cabinet. The Islamic government that we will announce will be a ... model for the people," TOLOnews quoted Anamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban's cultural commission.
"There is no doubt about the presence of the Commander of the Faithful (Akhunzada) in the government. He will be the leader of the government and there should be no question on this," it further added.
A day after the last of the U.S. troops evacuated Afghanistan, a team of Qatari technical experts landed in Kabul to discuss the resumption of airport operation. A discussion is ongoing and was initiated by Afghanistan, according to reports.
Will Women be Recognized?
The big question that remains is if women will be included in the new government and if so in what capacity. According to a Guardian report, a Taliban spokesperson said that women can continue to work in the new government in Afghanistan but it is quite unlikely that they will be inducted in the cabinet.
Also, there is no surety if ethnic minorities will get a representation in the new Afghan government. The deputy head of the Taliban political office in Qatar told the BBC that senior positions in the new administration would be filled on basis of merit.
Almost 50 percent of all civil service jobs in the now-defunct Afghan ministries were occupied by women. The official said that these women "should come back to their work", but "in the new government that will be announced, in the top posts, in the cabinet, there may not be women".
Unlike in 1996, this time the Taliban have delayed in forming a government. The last time when Taliban had seized power in Afghanistan in 1996, a leadership council was formed within hours.
At that time too the hardline movement had made similar promises but soon banned women from education and employment and enforced strict dress codes and adopted a punitive approach to the people of Kabul and publicly hanged a former president.
