At a time when Afghanistan is embarking on a new path toward reconstruction, independence, and the establishment of security, a number of defeated and fugitive political figures are once again attempting to present themselves as the “voice of the people” under the banner of representing the nation.
These claims, however, are being made despite the fact that not only is the past of these individuals marred by betrayal and incompetence, but they also remain deeply disconnected from the current realities of Afghan society.
Certain social media accounts affiliated with these individuals, through deception and distortion of facts, try to portray themselves as the voice of the Afghan people on the international stage. Yet what remains from their past is nothing but corruption, treachery, and dependence on foreign powers.
This raises an important question: those who constantly cry out that “the Taliban do not represent the Afghan people”—do they themselves consider themselves the representatives of the Afghan nation? And do the long-suffering people of Afghanistan truly accept these discredited figures as their representatives?
This article aims to answer that question:
The truth is that these fugitive leaders today no longer have any legitimacy in the eyes of the people. In the collective memory of the Afghan nation, they are remembered as direct enemies of national interests and the dignity of the people.
These figures, over the past twenty years, built governments that essentially served the interests of Western occupiers, executing their malicious policies without question.
During all that time, instead of emphasizing national sovereignty, they signed humiliating agreements, established foreign military bases in the heart of Afghanistan, and sold off every inch of the land to secure their personal gains.
Under their rule, Afghanistan topped the list of the world’s most corrupt countries. Everything—from foreign aid to reconstruction contracts—was devoured by their mafia-like networks.
Throughout their rule, thousands of Afghan men and women, old and young—even infants—were killed in airstrikes by occupying American forces. Yet not once did these so-called “representatives of the people” raise their voice against these atrocities.
Even today, instead of speaking out for the oppressed people of Afghanistan, they stand on global platforms advocating for sanctions and the cutting of aid—measures that directly harm the Afghan people. Worse still, they push for the continued isolation of the country.
After the fall of the republican regime, rather than returning home to stand in solidarity with the very people who suffered for years under their misrule, they chose to flee—seeking refuge in the very countries that had supported the occupation of Afghanistan.
Now, seated in the glass palaces of Europe and America, they shamelessly speak of “empathy with the people.” Yet during their time in power, there was neither justice nor any recognition of the people’s voice.
How can individuals be considered representatives of the people when their language, attire, lifestyle, and mindset bear no resemblance to those of the nation they claim to represent? Today, from thousands of kilometers away, living comfortably off the wealth of the Afghan people, they issue prescriptions for the country and pose as its sympathizers—while those same people and nation have repeatedly responded with silence, indifference, and even mockery to their messages.
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