Taliban, Pakistan and why there’s no government in Afghanistan

Pakistan has been micromanaging various factions of the Taliban. It appeared to be an easy task for Pakistan before the question of government formation arose within the Taliban.

The official version from Taliban last week gave a sense that infighting within the group was over and a settlement had been reached. Taliban chief Mullah Haibatullah (also spelt as Hibatullah) Akhundzada was declared to be the head of the government in Afghanistan and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar was touted as the executive chief of the Taliban government. However, reports from Taliban and Pakistan confirm that infighting is far from over. In fact, it intensified within the group over the weekend as clashes broke out between factions, reports said.