Abdul Rasool Sayyaf will challenge the Taliban in Afghanistan, there is a connection with India too

The biggest question that has arisen since the Taliban’s occupation of Afghanistan is who can challenge the power there. Meanwhile, the name of former Mujahideen commander and parliamentarian Abdul Rasool Sayyaf has come into the limelight. Abdul Rasool Sayyaf is being seen as a potential leader who could lead the anti-Taliban forces. Sayyaf has had connections with India, especially among diplomats and security officials.

Abdul Rasool Sayyaf, a well-known leader of the 70s, has been counted as an Islamic scholar as well as a Pashtun leader. People familiar with developments said on condition of anonymity that Sayyaf could bring together anti-Taliban forces in Afghanistan. He is believed to have been living in India since the fall of the Ashraf Ghani government in Afghanistan and the Taliban’s capture of Kabul in mid-August.

People said Sayyaf’s name has been put forward to lead the anti-Taliban forces because Ahmed Masood, the son of commander Ahmed Shah Masood and founder of Afghanistan’s National Resistance Front, has not had much success in uniting anti-Taliban forces.

Initially, Masood, who was the head of intelligence in the Afghan government, and former Vice President Amrullah Saleh were seen as potential heads of the resistance forces, but since the situation in the Panjshir Valley changed in September, their names are now less discussed. Has been. Ahmed Masood is believed to be camping in Paris and Dushanbe, while Saleh has been seen in the capital of Tajikistan.

Ahmed Masood does not have the same experience as his father as a commander. On the other hand, Saleh is counted as a good strategist but has no base in terms of popularity. A person familiar with the incident said that if the two had worked together, they would have been able to bring together anti-Taliban forces. Saleh claimed himself to be the Afghan president after the Taliban took over, but people believe he lacks supporters.

On the other hand, Ustad Sayyaf is quite famous for being a former commander of the Mujahideen. Within Pashtun circles, Sayyaf is counted as one of the Islamic scholars. However, it is not yet clear whether Sayyaf has agreed to take on a greater responsibility in bringing the anti-Taliban forces together. Sayyaf was once linked to al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden and the militants who took control of Kabul after the fall of the communist government in the early 1990s. As a former leader of the Northern Alliance, Sayyaf has been in touch with Indian diplomats and security officials.

Sayyaf is counted among the critics of the Taliban. He played a key role in Afghanistan’s politics in 2019 when President Ashraf Ghani selected him to chair the four-day Loya Jirga and Grand Council for peace talks with the Taliban. On the other hand, differences are also going on among the Taliban. In particular, the tussle continues between hardliners of the Haqqani network and members of the Doha-based political office.