The first official press conference of Taliban and the mysterious spokesman

“After 20 years of struggle, we liberated (the country) and expelled foreigners,” Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman who had not been seen until Tuesday night, told international media at a news conference.

He said the Taliban had “pardoned everyone and there will be no reprisals”, including Afghans working with the Us. He said the group had “pardoned everyone for the sake of stability and peace in Afghanistan”.

Turning to women’s issues, he declared his commitment to “upholding women’s rights under the sharia system” and said that “women will be active in our society”.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid speaks during a news conference in Kabul

The Taliban have held their first press conference in Kabul since seizing power.
He sidestepped specific questions about how women could be employed, saying only vaguely that women were “needed” in health, law, education and the police.

Speaking about media freedom, he called for “balanced and fair” reporting by the media and said, “If they are fair, they can criticize us.”

Asked if the Taliban would harbor AL Qaeda fighters or other extremists, Mujahid reiterated: “The land of Afghanistan will not be used against anyone.”

The Taliban in Afghanistan on Tuesday announced an amnesty for all members of the current government, hoping they would have the confidence to return to work.

AFP quoted a Taliban spokesman as saying, “An amnesty for everyone has been announced… So you can go about your daily life with a sense of joy.”

For many who have been following events in Afghanistan, the press conference was the first time they had seen Mujahid’s face. For years, he worked in the shadows, always just a voice on the phone.

The Taliban has long restricted women’s rights, including prohibiting them from working and requiring them to wear the Burka, a tight robe that covers even two eyes. The group has also enforced a harsh version of Sharia law, with brutal punishments for those who violate it.

“I don’t believe what they’re saying,” one woman in Kabul said after watching Mujahid speak on television.

“It was a trick, and we were lured out to be punished. I don’t want to study or work under their laws, “was the reaction of another woman who was afraid to leave her home.

While many Afghan women are deeply suspicious of the Taliban’s attitude, others welcome the way the Taliban has fought for women’s rights.

“If we can work and get an education, that’s my definition of freedom, that’s my red line, and the Taliban haven’t crossed it yet,” said one woman.

“I don’t mind wearing a hijab as long as my right to study and work is protected. I live in an Islamic country and I am willing to accept an Islamic dress code as long as it is not Burka because that is not an Islamic dress code.”