Leader of the anti-Taliban National Resistance Front (NRF), Ahmad Masoud, has warned countries in the region and the world against making deals with the Taliban. “Any alignment and engagement with the Taliban are futile,” he said, mentioning Pakistan as an example.
Pakistan’s officials have repeatedly admitted that the country has seen an unprecedented rise in attacks by the Tahreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), after the Afghan Taliban recaptured Afghanistan in August 2021. They have also said that the TTP enjoy save havens in Afghanistan and plan their attacks from Afghan soil.
The NRF leader made these remarks in a video message released on the occasion of Nawruz, the 1402 New Year in solar Hijri calendar, on Tuesday.
Masoud added that he had warned Pakistan years back on the consequences of using a proxy force, like the Taliban, against Afghanistan for Islamabad.
“Pakistan’s security, political, and economic crises can make the issue crystal clear and that other countries need to be careful regarding their engagement with the Taliban,” Masoud maintained, noting that any kind of engagement with the Taliban by any country go against the fundamental values of their citizens.
The internationally accepted values and rights such as freedom, education, and equality must be considered as “fundamental rights” for the people of Afghanistan as well, he noted.
The NRF leader asserted that it was not acceptable as some countries violated the values of the Afghan people in dealing with the Taliban with the justification that there is no alternative for the group.
“These countries and organizations must know that a political process coming out of the people’s vote can be an alternative for the Taliban and the status quo,” Masoud stated, terming it as the only solution for the current crisis in Afghanistan.
Shortly after the Taliban’s recapture of Kabul, Masoud founded the NRF militia in his home province of Panjshir. His militia is mostly formed of former Afghan security forces and have so fare fought some deadly battles against the Taliban in Panjshir, Baghlan, Takhar, and Badakhshan provinces.
