Kabul: Senior Taliban figures have acknowledged that crippling sanctions and their lack of acceptance by the international community are to blame for the dire economic situation their nation is in.
In the most recent episode of Arab News' "Frankly Speaking" programme, Suhail Shaheen said Katie Jensen that the Taliban had taken over a weak economy and a very impoverished Afghanistan when it took Kabul in August 2021.
In his words, "the poverty that we are experiencing today was inherited from the past, from the past 20-year regime that had foreign forces in Afghanistan."
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Even though "the occupying powers" were said to have spent billions of dollars in the nation, according to Shaheen, "those dollars went into the private pockets of the warlords." The average person continued to experience poverty.
He asserted that the situation got worse when Afghanistan was subjected to economic sanctions after the Taliban seized power because the restrictions increased poverty.
Shaheen denied any responsibility for Afghanistan's worsening situation since the Taliban took control and instead pointed the finger at Western nations, specifically "those who imposed the sanctions and those who favoured the warlords," for the country's economic woes.
There are some significant projects, like building roads, that generate internal revenue as we work to address these issues, he said.
When discussing the limitations on women's access to higher education, Shaheen came across as evasive and noncommittal. At times, he made contradictory statements and displayed defensiveness.
He initially claimed that women were not prohibited from studying. He attempted to defend the closures by arguing that "but it (education) should be according to our rules and values," but when faced with unassailable facts about women being prohibited from attending schools and institutions of higher learning, he resorted to this argument.
When informed that women have full access to education in schools, colleges, and universities throughout all Muslim and Islamic nations, Shaheen reacted, "Women should have access to education in an Islamic environment. Our society is Islamic, so when the conditions are right, they will have the right to access education.
He spoke extensively about the recent border clashes between Afghan and Iranian forces, the country's tense relationship with Pakistan, and its evolving relations with the US under the Biden administration. He described the country's political relations with its neighbours as being based on mutual respect.
He argued that the UN should examine the current circumstances, saying that the decision not to recognise the Taliban by the UN and many other nations is "politically motivated rather than based on ground realities."
According to Shaheen, the Taliban currently have total dominance over all of Afghanistan. "All of the borders have been secured. The entire nation is under our command. We are able to protect our nation and people. We have the public's backing, he declared.
Shaheen stated that Afghanistan is a sovereign nation before addressing Pakistan's relations with its neighbour during the Taliban's rule, adding, "We liberated our country. For 20 years, we battled 54 nations.
"We are people who value freedom. We desire good relations with everyone in the world, not just our neighbours.
He asserted that the Taliban will not permit anyone to use Afghan territory as a base for operations against other nations, including the US, their neighbours, or themselves.
Shaheen aimed to establish the Taliban's lack of connections to Pakistan's security forces. "Our policy is peaceful coexistence and positive relations with neighbours in other countries," he declared. "You must inquire about their policies with them."
Shaheen responded to Pakistan's claim that the Taliban is aiding and housing the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, a terrorist organisation outlawed in Pakistan, saying the TTP is "not in Afghanistan." This accusation is a major source of tension between the two neighbours.
He asserted that the TTP is located inside Pakistan and runs its operations out of the country's lawless tribal regions. They (Pakistan) are in charge of that, not us.
Shaheen contends that the problem ought to be resolved in accordance with both the 1973 treaty and subsequent developments, such as the occurrence of climate change.
However, we are aware of history and will defend our people if anyone uses force. We have a right to that. We are fighting for. We're not infringing on anyone's rights, he insisted.
He insisted that the Iranians "attacked our forces," adding that as a result, "our forces had to defend themselves." It was our right to defend ourselves, and no one can force us to sign agreements based on the threat of force.
According to him, "the seniors" from the Afghan and Iranian sides "came together to resolve the issue through talks."
Shaheen made a telling remark when asked if Afghans have the resources, army, and willpower to confront Iran: "(What happened in the last) 20 years is good evidence and proof of how we defend our country."
He was reminded of the presence of Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri, who was in Kabul when he was killed in a US drone strike in July of last year, when he said that Afghan territory would not be used to train foreign terrorists. Shaheen, however, brushed that aside as an unproven claim.
He said, "If there are training centres, then journalists should tell us where the centres are." "How can the situation in Afghanistan be accurately represented if someone is writing reports from a desk 10,000 kilometres away using only information from the media?
"These reports are purely political in nature and are not based on the realities in Afghanistan. Simply put, they are allegations.
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The Taliban recently applauded remarks made by US President Joe Biden about the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan in 2021, which were made on the sidelines of a press conference on June 30. During the withdrawal, Biden insisted that no errors had been made, saying: "Do you remember what I said about Afghanistan? Al-Qaeda wouldn't be there, I said. I guaranteed that it wouldn't be. I promised that the Taliban would assist us. What's going on right now? What is happening? Read the news. I was correct.