Fadaei: Some Afghan Political Leaders Welcomed the Taliban in Moscow in 2019
Mohammad Haleem Fadaei, former governor of Paktia under the Republic system, stated that in 2019 when the Taliban delegation traveled from Doha to Moscow, apart from former President Dr. Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, several Afghan political leaders welcomed them with bouquets of flowers.
According to Fadaei, these figures went to Moscow with the expectation that they would have roles and “shares” in the Taliban’s future governance structure. He emphasized that many of these political calculations have since resulted differently, and what was once considered a share has turned into “sorrow.”
Fadaei quoted a Hazara leader who had said at the time: “Whether our share is with Brother Ghani (the Taliban) or Dr. Ghani, it is clear.” However, Fadaei noted that subsequent developments showed this optimism did not align with the realities of the Taliban’s rule.
The former Paktia governor also claimed that Dr. Ghani proposed joint and coordinated negotiations on behalf of the Republic, but some leaders entered separate and secret talks to secure personal interests; a process that, in his view, played a role in shaping the current situation.
In 2019, a meeting took place in Moscow between Taliban representatives and several Afghan politicians, in which the then government did not officially participate. This meeting was among the first public engagements between certain political figures and the Taliban; an interaction that, given the Taliban administration’s performance and extensive political and social restrictions, has been seriously questioned by critics.
