QUETTA, Nov 26: Many exiled Afghans in Pakistan will be glad to see the back of the Taliban, saying the militia has blackened the name of Pakhtoons with its hardline interpretation of Islam.
The Taliban’s insistence that women could not work and their reluctance to share power with other ethnic groups was not a reflection of most Pakhtoons vision for their country, some Pakhtoons told AFP.
Mustafa Nawabi, who was originally from Uruzgan province in the Taliban’s one-time heartland in southern Afghanistan, said the end of the militia’s rule would be a chance to show the world the real face of Pakhtoons.
“It is not fair to think that all Pakhtoons are Taliban. They have given us a bad name,” said the 18-year-old who left Afghanistan two years ago but still regularly returns to his home province.
“They beat women and closed schools. This is not allowed by Islam. Many people who have worked with the Taliban do not agree with their ideas but they have had no choice.
“We are not a stupid people who are against civilization.”
According to Abdullah Azizi, a former engineer with Afghanistan’s national airline, Ariana, the Taliban’s treatment of women was a disgrace which had little backing from ordinary Pakhtoons.
“It was not fair that they took away the rights of women. We should give them those rights again,” said Azizi, 60, who used to live in Kabul.
“They should be able to work in schools and the hospitals. That is how things used to happen.”
Azizi also criticized the Taliban’s reluctance to share government with other ethnic groups, such as the Tajiks and the Uzbeks.
“They just wanted to control everything by themselves. That is the cause of their problems. That is why they are now having to throw away their weapons. We need a country where everyone can be represented.”
Kandahar exile Khufrow Popal, who runs a convenience store here in Quetta, said he regarded himself as an Afghan more than a Pakhtoon.
“Pakhtoons want unity for Afghanistan. Most understand that we cannot ignore the Hazaras or the Tajiks. Islam is about unity,” he said.
But not everyone appears to have such a liberal attitude.
Mohammed Azim, a butcher from the remaining Taliban stronghold of Kandahar, said he fully supported the Taliban’s policy of keeping women at home and forcing them to wear burqas to cover their face.
“Women should not come out of their home and ... they should cover their face.”
Azim also had little time for talk of a multi-ethnic government to ensure unity in Afghanistan.
“We should not be giving power to the Uzbeks or Tajiks. This is Afghanistan, not Uzbekistan or Tajikistan,” he said.
“The Taliban made Afghanistan a safe place to live. I only left (a month ago) when I became afraid for my life because of the American bombing.”—AFP
