Jalali: Hibatullah Considers Himself Above the Taliban Government
Ali Ahmad Jalali, former Interior Minister of Afghanistan and a university professor in the United States, recently described the current leader of the Taliban administration as more powerful in terms of centralized authority than previous leaders of the group. He characterized Hibatullah Akhundzada as having greater influence and authority compared to Mullah Omar and Akhtar Mohammad Mansour.
According to Jalali, Hibatullah has sought to ensure that his position is not overshadowed by any other figure. He added that the Taliban leader has established a special guard for himself, which in structure and function resembles the personal guards of Roman emperors.
The former official of the previous Afghan republic also pointed to Hibatullah’s presence in Kandahar and stated that he considers himself above the government. Jalali believes that the Taliban leader derives his legitimacy not from the people but from a divine interpretation.
These views once again highlight the issues of concentrated power, lack of accountability, and the exclusion of the people’s will in the Taliban administration’s structure—concerns that have consistently been criticized by political analysts and advocates of civil rights in Afghanistan.
