A group of former Afghan ministers, lawmakers, and diplomats have launched a new political organisation in exile, the Afghanistan National Justice Party, holding its inaugural meeting on Monday in Istanbul, Türkiye.
The party was founded by former ministers Faiz Mohammad Osmani and Jamahir Anwari; former parliamentarians Rozgildi Oichi and Nazari Turkman; former ambassadors Abdul Rahim Oraz and Mohammad Isa Mesbah; and former senator Mohammad Anwar Bashliq.
During the meeting, Mesbah, a former Afghan ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, was elected party chairman. Turkman and Shogofa Farhang were selected as deputy leaders.
Party officials said their core objectives include fostering peaceful coexistence, strengthening unity among Afghan citizens, and rejecting all forms of ethnic and racial discrimination. They called for a renewed sense of national ownership and inclusivity.
Speaking to Afghanistan International on Monday, Mesbah said that “ensuring national justice is the only way to rescue the country from its historical crises.”
The party has outlined several key goals: promoting cultural identity, supporting the election of local officials, establishing schools in native languages, and upholding human rights, including the rights of women and children.
Mesbah emphasised that all Afghan citizens are entitled to equal rights. He noted that no accurate census has ever been conducted in Afghanistan and population estimates are based largely on unofficial data. “There are no legal majority or minority groups in Afghanistan,” he said.
“Religious sects must be free,” he added. “If India, with more than a hundred religions and sects, can live together peacefully in one territory, why can’t we live in peace with just three? We have also prioritised the expansion of education.”
Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, political party activity inside Afghanistan has been banned, forcing many former officials and political figures into exile. As a result, Afghan political movements and civil groups have increasingly taken shape abroad.
The Afghanistan National Justice Party has not announced any plans for operations within Afghanistan at this time.
