Afghan Taliban regime 'stuck in a dead end', says Afghan-Pakistani journalist

Afghanistan's Taliban government finds itself in a perilous contradiction: hardliners are consolidating ideological power while the regime's ability to govern effectively collapses, according to a prominent journalist. This assessment comes as the Taliban regime remains diplomatically isolated three years after seizing power, facing mounting humanitarian crises and deepening internal divisions.

"The Taliban are stuck in a dead end," Sami Yousafzai, a veteran journalist, told Nukta on Tuesday. "The Taliban's Kandahar leader wants confrontation with the whole world. They don't care if Afghans die from poverty or whatever happens."

Yet despite these governance failures, Yousafzai sees little chance of regime change without foreign intervention, predicting that "until 2032-33, the situation will remain the same." His analysis provides a stark counterpoint to the Taliban's claims of bringing stability to Afghanistan.

Since retaking control in August 2021, the Taliban have touted successes in reducing terrorism, crime, and drug trafficking. Under supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada's direction, Afghanistan has seen opium cultivation drop by an estimated 95% and terrorism-related deaths decline significantly.

Victory at the cost of women's rights

However, these achievements have come at the severe cost of women's rights, with Afghanistan becoming the only country worldwide that completely bans female education. These policies have earned the Taliban leadership arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.

Taliban members rejoice on the second anniversary of the fall of Kabul on a street near the US embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 15. Reuters

Yousafzai's insights reveal deepening fissures within the Taliban leadership over these hardline policies. High-ranking officials, including Sirajuddin Haqqani, have reportedly challenged Akhundzada directly. According to Yousafzai, Haqqani told the supreme leader, "If you don't change your policies, I cannot be an active member of the government."

The interview suggests these tensions haven't yet matured into formal factional splits. "Despite all these internal differences, there isn't any group formation within the Taliban," Yousafzai said, noting that most Taliban officials lack the ambition or capacity to challenge leadership. "All are graduates from madrassas, all have the same agenda, all have the same level of education."

Humanitarian situation deteriorating

Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation deteriorates. "They've stopped giving pensions. Last month, they struggled to pay salaries to their employees," Yousafzai said. This economic collapse compounds Afghanistan's isolation, with no country formally recognizing the Taliban government.

The regime's rigid stance on healthcare for women illustrates the disconnect between hardline ideology and practical governance. When health officials requested permission to train female medical staff due to a critical shortage, Akhundzada reportedly dismissed the concern, saying, "I have six children, and all the children were delivered at home. There's no need to open such schools or maintain nursing homes."'

Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada's response to a request to reopen nursing schools for women: "I have six children, and all the children were delivered at home. There's no need to open such schools or maintain nursing homes."

Relations with neighboring Pakistan have also deteriorated despite initial Pakistani support for the Taliban. Recent tensions include Pakistan's refusal to extend the February 28 deadline for Afghan refugee repatriation, affecting thousands of displaced Afghans including former U.S. and NATO allies.

No credible opposition to Taliban govt

Despite these mounting crises, Yousafzai finds no credible opposition to Taliban rule. "The Taliban, for the first time in the past forty-five years, have a government that controls one hundred percent of Afghanistan's territory," he observed. While ISIS occasionally conducts attacks, they "don't have any foothold in Afghanistan at this time."

Public discontent continues to grow, however. "People are becoming more and more angry," Yousafzai noted, suggesting future instability. "In Afghanistan, there's a culture of revenge which is very old historically. When someone becomes against the government, they join these groups from where they can take their revenge."

Afghan women chant slogans in protest against the closure of universities to women by the Taliban in Kabul, Dec. 22, 2022. Reuters

The situation leaves Afghanistan in a precarious limbo – a government consolidating ideological control while failing at basic governance functions, with no viable opposition in sight. As Yousafzai grimly concluded, "Unfortunately, the longer the Taliban remain in Afghanistan, Afghanistan is moving day by day toward destruction."