Amrullah Saleh: Pakistan in charge of Afghanistan effectively as colonial power

London/Kabul, Sep 4 (UNI) Amrullah Saleh, who has declared himself the caretaker President of Afghanistan and is holding out against the Taliban along with the Resistance forces of Ahmad Massoud in Panjshir, said on Saturday that the Taliban “get directions every hour” from the Pakistan embassy in Kabul and that Islamabad “is in charge as effectively a colonial power”.
In a moving dispatch to the Daily Mail, Saleh revealed his anger at Afghanistan’s betrayal by America but urged the West not to abandon his beloved nation.
He said the Taliban are using American munitions against the Resistance forces, but the people of the northeastern Panjshir province are not deterred.
“Yesterday I attended the burial ceremony of two of the best commanders I ever knew who were killed last night.
The fighting here is heavy now, with casualties on both sides. The Taliban are using American munitions against us and Blackhawk helicopters are being flown in to reinforce their attacks.
I did not speak at the funeral, but others did. And when they asked the hundreds of mourners drawn from the communities of the Panjshir Valley – the last Afghan province resisting the Taliban – if they were prepared to continue fighting, a roar of support erupted.
The people are resolute. They – we – are united in defending our dignity, our land, our history, and our pride against the Taliban whose fighters have been amassing here in recent days.
The snow-capped mountains of this valley, some 90 miles north of the Afghan capital, Kabul, are majestic and there is a long history of successful resistance here.
It beats in the proud heart of every man, every woman, and every child.
Right now our entire focus is on ensuring the survival of this valley as the base against the Taliban who in recent months have over run this nation.
Survival does not necessarily mean defending each and every inch of the territory. It means ensuring that the enemy will never gain control here.
We know we are not alone. Other Afghans are with us – in the nearby Andarab Valley, in parts of Kapisa Province, and in pockets in Parwan. And we have contacts all over the country, particularly in northern and central Afghanistan.
Many fighters are flocking here to join the National Resistance Front (NRF) – anti-Taliban fighters, former Afghan security forces and ordinary Afghans who want to stop us returning to the rule of the Taliban.
For the Taliban have not won any hearts and minds. They have simply exploited the flawed policy of a fatigued American president — not necessarily the United States itself — and they are being micromanaged by Pakistan’s notorious intelligence agency, the ISI.
The Taliban’s spokesperson receives directions, literally every hour, from the Pakistani embassy.
It is the Pakistanis who are in charge as effectively a colonial power. But this is not going to last because they and their clients will not be able to erect a functioning economy or create a civil service.
They may have territorial control, but as our history has shown, control of land does not necessarily mean control over the people or stability. And I do not see Taliban having any idea about governance.
The betrayal of Afghanistan by the West is colossal.”