Don’t Confront People Resorting to Force, Says Taliban Leader in Cabinet Meeting

Mullah Hibatullah, the Taliban leader, mentioned in the two-day meeting of the group's cabinet in Kandahar that if the Taliban compel people to adopt “Islam and moral”' by force, the people will resist and go against the group.

According to the Taliban, Hibatullah said that the implementation of Sharia law is the main duty of the officials of the group.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the group’s spokesperson, published a statement on Wednesday stating that a two-day meeting of the Taliban cabinet was held in Kandahar chaired by Mullah Hibatullah. The Taliban spokesperson said that in this meeting, there was a discussion about Mullah Baradar's recent trip to Iran as well as the forced deportation of Afghan immigrants from Pakistan.

Mujahid said that during this two-day meeting, the current political situation, the further development of relations with neighbours and other countries, and the solution of existing problems have been discussed. He added that, during the cabinet meeting focused on implementing constructive policies, the responsibility of preparing strategies for domestic and foreign policies was entrusted to the members of the political commission, led by the Taliban's foreign minister.

The statement added that the leader of the Taliban addressed the group's ministers, emphasising that they are not in charge of a district or province, instead, they are tasked with overseeing all of Afghanistan. The leader urged the group's officials to value the people and avoid being “disloyal” to them.

According to Mujahid, Mullah Hibatullah said that time changes and the Taliban should try to leave "good principles, laws and morals to the next generations".

The Taliban’s spokesperson said that the leader of the group stressed on providing service to the people of Afghanistan.

According to the statement, the leader of the Taliban said, "Try to invite people to Islamic values and morals through encouragement, persuasion, and good manners rather than resorting to force. If compelled, people will resist; however, through positive encouragement, they will respond with friendliness and sincerity."

The leader of the Taliban, who lives in secret and rarely meets senior officials of the group, urged the Taliban officials to learn from the performance of the previous government officials.

Hibatullah said that the officials of the group should be happy about the appointments and not upset about the dismissals.

Mujahid said that in this meeting, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the economic deputy of the prime minister, and Nooruddin Azizi, the Taliban’s minister of commerce and industry, presented details about their recent trips to Iran and Pakistan.

It has been stated that in this meeting, opinions were discussed and exchanged regarding the selection of different export and import routes of Afghanistan as well as to prepare fuel and food for the upcoming winter.

Mullah Baradar recently went to Iran heading a delegation of the group and spoke with the Iranian officials. The trip took place while the tension between the Taliban and Pakistan was at its peak. Some experts said that with the strained relations between the Taliban and Pakistan, the Taliban is trying to find an alternative way for imports.

Mujahid added that Hidayatullah Badri, the group’s governor of the Central Bank of Afghanistan, has provided information about maintaining the value of the Afghani currency and related issues. The Taliban spokesperson stated that essential decisions have been made to enhance the transparency of all relevant departments as part of the ongoing efforts to strengthen the Taliban's monetary policy. He did not provide more details about these decisions.

Meanwhile, the Taliban’s leader has ordered all the ministers to prioritise the handling of immigrants situation in their agenda.

The spokesperson of the Taliban stated that the provision of services for the education and training of the new generation in religious and contemporary science departments as well as the improvement of the scientific capacity of professors and solving the students and professors’ challenges were also discussed in the meeting. Mujahid stated that essential consultations and decisions have been made in this regard as well.

The Taliban has not released any footage from their cabinet meeting in Kandahar.