For the past forty years, unfortunately in our country only those who had weapons and a penchant for violence and destruction have been able to remain in the political arena. Those who relied on tools other than force have not been able to play a decisive role. Before the Doha agreement, anti-Taliban forces, educated people, intellectuals and civil society had considerable confidence in preserving democratic values, and the majority of people had high hopes that they would lead the country towards peace and stability. It was said that terrorist groups could not compete with this new generation, who had public support, intellectual support from the international community, and were equipped with modern skills and knowledge of governance. It was also said that if the peace talks were managed properly, the Taliban would be gradually absorbed and dissolved into society after 2021, as they had no plan or knowledge of how to run a country, especially one that had changed a lot. Even in the last months leading up to the collapse of the Republic, this hope was still alive in the hearts of millions of compatriots.
After the collapse, everything changed. The Taliban, who were themselves taken aback by the Republic‘s swift capitulation, instead of attempting to gain legitimacy, acted arrogantly and ostentatiously displayed their suicide vests, IEDs, and other weapons of destruction. They even held a commemoration ceremony for the suicide attackers and expressed sympathy for their family members. They even offered amnesty as if they had not killed thousands of people out of mercy, expecting everyone to be thankful for the Taliban. The public also realized the vulnerability of peaceful political platforms in the absence of a military and a protective force.
The Taliban carry out extrajudicial executions, torture, and incarceration in broad daylight, despite their so–called general amnesty, and do not hesitate to express their malicious intentions from official tribunes. Recently, Neda Mohammad Nadem, the acting Education Minister, expressed his desire to kill dissidents who dare to criticize their regime. He calls for total obedience to Hibatullah and believes that any criticism, even with solid evidence, is an act of subversion. Surprisingly, this is not his personal opinion, but rather the regime‘s policy to kill anyone who raises their voice against them, as his leader once said that constructive criticism should be done in private. The Taliban leaders have expressed their hatred and disgust towards the media on various occasions. In an audio file, one of them stated with great anger that the media are worse than the armed opposition and asked the Taliban to suppress media critics. It is clear that the Taliban love absolute silence and obedience, as they do not possess the intellectual capacity to convince people and win them over. Therefore, they resort to violence and intimidation as a means of control. However, repression and elimination cannot last long, as the will of the people will prevail, and this method will only hasten their downfall and collapse.
