Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar is known to be the co-founder and political chief of the Taliban. After the US troops have withdrawn all soldiers from Afghanistan, Abdul Ghani Baradar is expected to lead the new government in the country. International news agencies have confirmed this last-minute development.
Although he was not a part of the group that made their way on the 15th of August into the presidential palace in Kabul’s capital, he is credited for helping the men get into it. The former Afghan government official claimed that even if he does not become president, he will still take on “a major role”.
In the late 1990s, Baradar co-founded the Taliban. Between 1996 and 2001, the militant group was in power, and he has held senior government positions. He is known to be the man who helped lead the group’s uprising fighters since it was dismantled by the US invasion in 2001. In 2010, he was arrested in the southern port city by Pakistani authorities. He then was released eight years later. Who would have thought that he is expected to run a group that is controlling an entire nation?
After his release, he headed the Taliban’s political office in Doha in which he became one of the most prominent figures in the group’s talk with the US.
According to what he said in Kabul, “I assure the people that we strive to improve their living conditions and that the government will be responsible to everyone and provide security because it is necessary for economic development, not just in Afghanistan but in the whole world”.
The group has indicated that it aims to seek international recognition of its government’s legitimacy. It is apparent that Baradar has mentioned that he aims to form an inclusive government. The United States and its European allies have urged the Taliban to form an inclusive government that represents women as well as the country’s various ethnic and religious minorities.