The endless and increasing disputes among the opponents of the caretaker government can be considered one of the greatest challenges hindering the destructive activities of this group; disputes that, during the twenty years of the republican era, were like an incurable cancer afflicting them and did not end until the last days of their downfall.
After the rise to power of the caretaker government, this marginalized group made countless efforts to create unity and solidarity among themselves; efforts that in some cases led to the formation of larger parties and new alliances.
The National Assembly for the Salvation of Afghanistan was one of these coalitions that announced its formation in the month of Qaws last year, with the membership of Abdul Rashid Dostum, Ahmad Massoud, Karim Khalili, Omar Daudzai, Rahmatullah Nabil, Mohammad Mohaqiq, Abdul Rabb Rasul Sayaf, Ismail Khan, Tadin Khan, Sadiq Modaber, Salahuddin Rabbani, and Ata Mohammad Noor.
An alliance that at that time was considered a glimmer of hope for the opponents of the caretaker government and had given them hope that perhaps this time they could stand up against the caretaker government with a united front and a common stance, and regain their lost position.
This alliance, which lasted more than four months and had managed to bring together the Taliban’s opponents at one table, was shaken to its core with the appointment of Omar Daudzai as the Executive Chairman of the National Council for the Salvation of Afghanistan on 19 Hamal 1404. Since that day, numerous rumors about severe disagreements among the members regarding Daudzai’s appointment have been circulating.
Yes! As expected, this alliance of the opposition to the caretaker government did not achieve anything and collapsed sooner than anticipated; the Resistance Front and the Jamiat-e Party were the first key members of this coalition to publicly announce their withdrawal through the issuance of statements.
Disputes over the division of duties, authorities, and privileges were again one of the fundamental factors in the collapse of this alliance. According to the Resistance Front, the reason for this withdrawal was the disagreement over “structure, policies, and methods of management and work,” and thus they ended their cooperation with the National Assembly for the Salvation of Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Unity Party led by Salahuddin Rabbani also confirmed the points raised by the Resistance Front regarding the cessation of cooperation with the Assembly, stating: “The principles proposed through the National Assembly for the salvation of Afghanistan are not sustainable in our current political, technical, and social realities, and we are not part of any decision or selection of this institution.”
Apart from the Resistance Front, the Jamiat-e Islami Party and the Afghanistan Freedom Front, however, used another tactic to distance itself from this assembly, calling the membership of this front in the National Assembly for the Salvation of Afghanistan a “rumor” and firmly rejecting it, stating that it has not been part of any political coalition or agreement that requires inter-organizational cooperation.
What emerges from the early split of the Freedom Front and the Jamiat Party from the National Assembly for the Salvation of Afghanistan is that the opposition groups to the caretaker government have not only failed to learn from the past, but they remain trapped in personal interests, ambition, and internal conflicts, and are never willing to set aside their personal interests.
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