The war and violence have been escalated these days all across the country. It seems the Taliban have keen interest in seizing political power through military activity and establish their own favorite political system; the Islamic Emirate. The spread of the war and violence’s territory and the casualty of both the people and the soldiers are all obvious evidences of the war-escalation and have adversely affected the peace negotiations between the government and the Taliban group. The country is witnessing a huge amount of attacks against the people and the security forces that are carried out these days by the group. The attacks have made a considerable number of people to leave their homes for a safe place. The consequence of the war-escalation is the increasing number of victims the people pay every day.
The Taliban’s increasing attacks on military and non-military targets have overshadowed the peace negotiations and disappointed all who were hopeful for a lasting peace in Afghanistan. It is increasingly changing into a default believe that the group is unwilling to give up war and violence and respect diplomatic methods, putting an end to the current political gridlock.The increasing attacks of the group prove the falseness of the assumption that claims the Taliban have changed. In recent years, especially since the beginning of the peace negotiations between the two sides, a number of figures have been supporting of the mentioned assumption. According to their opinion, the Taliban are not like those who were before 2001. The group, based on the assumption, has become familiar with different aspects and different life styles of the modern world since collapse of its regime and respect and accepts the current realities of modern Afghanistan. The assumption expresses that the group is not eager to clean Afghanistan from ethnic, religious, and linguistic diversity and is not willing to establish a brutal Islamic Emirate too, but has the potential to join to peace and work hard with the rest of the people for making the country a better and peaceful place for living.
But the reality is in the opposite of the mentioned assumption. The change in the Taliban’s view is a myth and they are still singing the song that were singing before 2001. War, violence and terror are still their main characteristics. Their political thought is the same as the time when they were dominant all across Afghanistan and they are still hopeful to set up an Islamic Emirate by using force and non-democratic methods. The Taliban are bitter enemies of school and education. The schools are closed in areas that are under control and domination of them and the children are deprived of one of their basic and constitutional rights, the right for education. The women have no place in the political thought of the Taliban. They believe that the best place for women is their houses and the women should be forbidden of political, social and economic activities. The group is unwilling to let the women being among the political decision-makers of the country. According to Taliban’s thought, the public sphere is exclusively for males and the females have no right to appear in public sphere. Politics is defined as a male activity and the women must not be permitted to enter in this territory, according to the Taliban’s view. More important of any other thing is that the group is still insisting to devastate the foundations of the current political system and establish their own favorite political system in this country. As it is obvious, the Islamic Emirate is not the political system which has the potential to meet the diverse and modern demands of the Afghans. Based on the experience in the history of the country, Islamic Emirate is one of the worst political systems for a country like Afghanistan which is made up of different religions, languages, and ethnic groups. Election is not accepted in the Taliban’s political behavior. They reject election and the people have no right for choosing their political leaders. The people are not the source of legitimacy in the Taliban’s worldview. These are the facts that are in the opposite of the mentioned assumption. The statement of “the Taliban have changed” is completely wrong and false. The group is still a bitter enemy of the young generation’s education as it was before 2001. Modern education and modern science are not acceptable for the Taliban and they strictly reject the idea of modern education. The women as I stated before, have no precious position in the political thought of the group, the idea that it held before its fall. Women’s political participation is still an impossible issue in the group’s worldview. Free and democratic election has not been prescribed as a rational way of substitution of political elites. So, considering the above explanations, we have no sign of any changes in the Taliban’s opinion. They still believe in non-democratic issues that are too dangerous for the safety of the country. Their interpretation from Islamic doctrine is too old and they are trying to secure a safety place for their interpretation as a ruling one.
Those who believe in the statement of “the Taliban have changed” are seeking political agenda and know very well that the group is the same as it was before the rise of modern Afghanistan in the late 2001. They are wrong and the change in the Taliban’s view is a myth. The group is as dangerous as a real terrorist and fundamental group. It is the responsibility of the people and the political elites to fight the idea of establishing an Islamic Emirate and supporters seriously. Our political decision-makers must order the security forces to increase military pressures over the Taliban. Because the group knows no language but the language of force and weapon. Only military pressure over the Taliban can bring them to the table of negotiations.