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Afghanistan is a landlocked country which is officially called the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. It is located at the point where central and south Asia intersect and is also known as the “Heart of Asia”. It is surrounded by Pakistan on the east and south, Iran to the west, Turkmenistan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, Tajikistan to the northeast, and China to the northeast and east.
Historically speaking, the silk routes of Afghanistan connected it with the other parts of Asia and Europe. It has a rich culture of spices as well.
Afghan Government:
The political aspects of the country are mainly dominated by the Taliban Islamic Movement. It holds the sole authority to make appointments in all government matters. After they took over the country, the Taliban announced that they would be catering to a caretaker government, which was announced on September 7, 2021. This caretaker government mainly consisted of all the established Taliban figures from the insurgency period.
Leaders:
The leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is Hibatullah Akhundzada. He has the sole authority over all of the important political, military, religious decisions, and government appointments. He is appointed as the supreme leader. As a designate of his post, most of his work is done alongside the Rahbari Shura or the Leadership Council. This council oversees the Cabinet and Prime Minister of Afghanistan. Now, this council, the Rahbari Shura, along with Akhundzada, is responsible for the appointment of individuals to important positions within the cabinet, which includes the positions of Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of the Interior.
In the current scenario, it is the supreme leader who is responsible for determining the ultimate aims of the Cabinet of Afghanistan. Thus, he works as the point of unity and leadership among the various factions of the Taliban. Hibatullah Akhundzada’s credentials as Maulwi and knowledge of Fiqh make him a very respectable figure among the Taliban, hence is seen as a unifying figure. Â
Rahbari Shura:
It is also known as the Leadership Council. It is a 26-member council and works as an assisting body to the supreme leader with the governance of Afghanistan. Zabiullah Mujahid, the Deputy Minister of Information and government spokesperson, states that the Rahbari Shura will oversee the Council of Ministers and determine key governmental decisions.
Previously, the council held power to appoint the new supreme leader after the death of the predecessor. However, it is still a topic of discussion as to whether it will exercise those powers after the fall of Kabul in 2021.
This system of governance followed to date is said to be reminiscent of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan government from 1996 to 2001, when Mohammad Omar was the Head of the Supreme Council. However, this system has also been compared to the Supreme Leader of Iran and its clerical system of rule. This council was even the executive body of the Taliban during the war in Afghanistan and determined the overall direction the group would take as an insurgency.
An Al Jazeera report states that the Council of Ministers is powerless in practice, where all of the political powers are vested wholly with Akhundzada and the Rahbari Shura, which is based out of Kandahar.
Taliban leaders in Afghanistan:
The Taliban had many in surprise when they swept across Afghanistan in just 10 days and took control over the towns and cities of Afghanistan.
They later completely took over Afghanistan and Hibatullah Akhundzada became the supreme leader, with Rahbari Shura following closely. They function very closely and are responsible for all the political and government matters in the country.
Conclusion:
Afghanistan is a landlocked country which is officially called as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. It is located at the point where central and south Asia intersect and is also known as the “Heart of Asia”. It is surrounded by Pakistan on the east and south, Iran to the west, Turkmenistan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, Tajikistan to the northeast, and China to the northeast and east. It was previously a part of the Indian subcontinent.
It is ruled by the Talibani Government, which holds the sole powers in regard to political and government matters.
