Taliban postpones swearing in of new Afghan interim govt
Taliban Spokesman Sohail Shaheen said that the oath-taking ceremony is no longer part of the plan.
KABUL (Dunya News) – The oath-taking ceremony of the Taliban new interim cabinet was cancelled on Saturday.
The development came after the Russians made public their decision to avoid the oath-taking ceremony.
Taliban Spokesman Sohail Shaheen said that the oath-taking ceremony is no longer part of the plan.
Several countries, including Pakistan, China, Russia, Turkey and Iran, had been invited to the oath-taking ceremony of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
The move comes day after Kremlin said that Russia would not take part in any way in the Taliban government’s inauguration ceremony in Afghanistan.
The speaker of Russia’s upper house of parliament said earlier this week that Russia would be represented at the inauguration by ambassador-level officials, the RIA news agency reported.
Taliban swept to power last month after US-backed government collapsed followed by US troops’ complete withdrawal from the war-torn country after 20 years.
The new rulers have pledged to be more accommodating than during their first stint in power, which also came after years of conflict – first the Soviet invasion of 1979, and then a bloody civil war.
This time round, the Taliban have made repeated declarations that they will not carry out revenge attacks on opponents, and women will have access to education and some employment.
