Foreign Support For Opposition Risks Civil War, Warns Taliban Governor In Panjshir
The Taliban governor of Panjshir has warned that foreign backing for opposition groups and their gatherings abroad could drag Afghanistan into civil war.
Mohammad Agha Hakim made the remarks at a public meeting in Shutul district on Thursday. Without naming countries, he said Afghanistan’s “enemies” were attempting to unite Taliban opponents under different banners to push the country to its past. He urged citizens to support Taliban rule.
Hakim also told the audience not to allow “tested figures and political profiteers” to undermine national unity.
His comments follow reports that a meeting of Taliban opponents planned in Islamabad was postponed under Taliban pressure. The Pakistani daily The Nation reported that Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi raised strong objections with his Pakistani counterpart, Ishaq Dar, during talks in Kabul on 20 August, leading to the conference being delayed.
Opposition groups have organised multiple meetings abroad since the Taliban seized power in 2021, but the Islamabad gathering was expected to be the first public assembly bringing together Afghanistan’s diverse political movements. It has now been postponed three times.
Analysts say the Taliban see such efforts as a direct challenge to their political legitimacy and fear the emergence of a united platform for opponents in the region.
