report on TOLOnews, Mar 6, 2023 at 9:18 PM
The European Union’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Tomas Niklasson, said that the “de facto” officials in Afghanistan need to prove they have the people’s support through an election or Loya-Jirga (Grand Assembly).
Speaking to TOLOnews, Niklasson said that the recognition of the caretaker Afghan government has been delayed due to the “actions and sometimes inaction of the Taliban.”
In response to a question on how could the “Taliban” show they have the support of the people of Afghanistan, Niklasson said:
“They can show that through elections, they can perhaps show that through a Loya Jirga, they make a claim that Afghans support us. How do we know? How can they prove that? But what we do know and what we do see is that the human rights situation is consistently moving with a few exceptions in a very negative development,” he said.
But the Islamic Emirate’s spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said that the people have an affinity for the current government and that there is no need for election.
“The Islamic government was the ambition of everyone and the Afghans have fought for 40 years for this government. No one should show concern in this regard. We don’t need elections or other programs but both we and the nation know that we are satisfied with each other,” he said.
“The amount of satisfaction and support of the people from the government is only possible through the expression of people’s will, and the holding of an election,” said Sayed Jawad Sijadi, a political analyst.
Niklasson also said that the “de facto” Afghan authorities need to engage in talks with the non-Taliban Afghans.
“I think the first thing, as I mentioned, would be to find a way of entering into dialogue with non-Taliban Afghans. Bringing them on board in the government, giving them a voice over the future of the country. Continuing to make progress–and they have made some progress in the fight against terrorist organizations inside the country– respect human rights. Those three would be – three very, very good starting points,” he said.
The Islamic Emirate’s spokesman said that they have fulfilled all conditions for recognition but some of the organizations are trying to find a way to interfere in Afghanistan.
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-182373
