The Taliban on Sunday, gave their first official interview, after the group took over the Afghan capital Kabul over a week back.
While speaking to Al Jazeera, Abdul Qahar Balkhi from the Taliban’s Cultural Commission said, he does not believe that people think of them as terrorists.The United States, Balkhi said, coined the term and used it to describe those who did not fall in line with their policies.
Balkhi reiterated that talks are underway to form a government and stressed that it will be an ‘inclusive system’.
The Taliban leader who had revealed his face for the first time on Tuesday at the group’s first press conference, said, they hope stakeholders, both domestic and international can cooperate on common interests.
Balkhi added that it is unfortunate that people are rushing to the Kabul airport to leave the country, even though the group has announced a general amnesty for everyone.
He reiterated that they did not want to enter Kabul, but wanted to form a joint and inclusive government first.
He added, that they were forced to enter and take over security as the Afghan forces had left. He admitted that the developments were so fast, that they took people by surprise.
Addressing global concerns about the violation of rights of women and children, under Taliban rule, Balkhi said that there is no ambiguity in the Sharia law about the right of not only women, but also that of men and children.
He further said that the point of intra-Afghan talks was to come an agreement about what these rights under the Sharia law, actually entail.
He stressed that the Taliban's ‘foremost priority is discipline’ within their own ranks.
The group plans to first impose rules on their own members, so that they can set a precedent, for the rest of the society to follow.