Three months after his appointment, he spoke to the public for the first time Hassan Ahund Al-MullaRadical Islamic Taliban government Prime Minister.
In an audio message broadcast on state television on Saturday, he said the Taliban could not be held responsible for the economic crisis and that the country could be “grateful” to the regime. In a pre-recorded half-hour audio message, Ahund noted that the Taliban kept their promises and fought foreign forces until an Islamic government was formed and stability returned to the country.
According to the interim prime minister, the previous government ran the weakest system in the world, where corruption is intertwined, and the Taliban are working to eradicate corruption. He added that hunger, unemployment and high prices were characteristic of the country even before the Taliban took power. He believed that they could end the economic crisis if they had access to the frozen foreign assets of the Central Bank of Afghanistan.
Millions have lost their main source of income since the fall of the internationally backed government in August. The United Nations fears a humanitarian catastrophe. The international community remains reluctant to recognize the Taliban government and has called on the regime to form a government based on broad social representation and respect for human rights and women’s rights.
Ahond claimed that his government represented different social classes and minorities and also respected women’s rights. However, more than 90 percent of the current cabinet members in Kabul are members of an ethnic group and all of them are male.
The Prime Minister indicated that the regime wants to settle relations with members of the international community and maintain good economic relations with them. At the same time, he asked international aid organizations to help avert a humanitarian catastrophe in the winter.
(via MTI)
