Abdul Hakim Haqqani, the Taliban’s chief justice, said in an Eid al-Adha speech that with the group’s return to power, there is no longer any excuse for not fully implementing Islamic Sharia.
He emphasised that no obstacles remain to establishing an Islamic system and ensuring justice under Taliban rule.
Haqqani, along with other Taliban leaders, performed Eid al-Adha prayers at the presidential palace on Saturday. During the ceremony, he spoke about the Taliban’s return to power, claiming that it occurred without the backing of any foreign government, organisation or alliance, and was instead the result of direct divine intervention.
He argued that if the Taliban had come to power with foreign support, they would have been forced to comply with demands contrary to “Islam, and the Hanafi jurisprudence.” Haqqani stated: “Fortunately, we are not indebted to anyone and are not obliged to carry out others’ orders.”
For two decades, many Taliban leaders and commanders were based in Pakistan, and the former Afghan government accused them of waging war with the backing of Pakistan’s intelligence agency.
Observers also point to the 2020 Doha Agreement, which led to the withdrawal of US forces and the collapse of the Afghan republic, as a key factor in the Taliban’s return. Some analysts believe regional players such as Russia, Iran and Qatar also contributed to the group’s resurgence.
Since taking power in 2021, the Taliban have resisted international pressure,particularly from Western countries and the United Nations, to respect human rights, guarantee women’s rights and reopen schools and universities for girls and women.
Haqqani also claimed that the Taliban are not facing any active armed opposition in any part of the country.
However, reports indicate that the National Resistance Front and the Afghanistan Freedom Front continue to carry out guerrilla attacks against Taliban forces in northern provinces. The United Nations has confirmed some of these attacks.
In addition, ISIS has launched attacks against Taliban forces and officials, including the assassination of senior figures such as Khalil Haqqani, the former minister of refugees and former Taliban governor of Balkh.
Haqqani remains a senior figure within the Taliban leadership. Recently, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court requested an arrest warrant for him and the Taliban’s supreme leader on charges that include widespread human rights violations and crimes against humanity.
