Former Taliban Intelligence Deputy Salahuddin Salar Warns State Collapse Begins from Within
Salahuddin Salar, the dismissed deputy of the Taliban’s Ministry of Defense intelligence, has released a critical statement asserting that the collapse of governments starts primarily from within. He emphasized that the root causes lie in injustice, greed, and the prioritization of narrow interests rather than external pressures.
Drawing from historical experiences, Salar pointed out that when meritocracy gives way to ethnic and tribal affiliations and national wealth is unfairly allocated to certain groups, the gap between the people and the power structure widens, gradually eroding public trust.
Salar described ethnonationalism as a destructive factor, stating that prioritizing the interests of a tribe or family over the public good undermines the foundations of justice and pushes society toward collapse—a situation that results in the decline of legitimacy and the spread of social discontent.
The former official also identified materialism as another face of the crisis, adding that valuing individuals based on their wealth rather than ethics, knowledge, and service weakens the social fabric. He believes that turning mines, lands, and public resources into tools for short-term profiteering leads only to widespread poverty and unfair concentration of wealth.
In conclusion, Salar proposed that the way out of this cycle is a return to justice, transparency, accountability, and respect for human dignity. He warned that no power structure, no matter how large, can endure when built on oppression and greed—a point that raises serious questions about the Taliban administration’s performance under the current conditions in Afghanistan.
