KABUL (SW) – The Taliban on Tuesday announced names for a number of new cabinet ministers and deputies for their government of the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan.
Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Ministry of Information and Culture of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, announced a number of remaining members of the caretaker cabinet at a press conference at the media center.
According to Zabihullah Mujahid, Haji Noureddin Azizi has been appointed head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade. It is said that Noureddin Azizi is a resident of Panjshir. Mohammad Bashir, a resident of Baghlan, has been appointed by the Islamic Emirate as the first deputy and Mohammad Azim Sultanzada as second deputy for the same ministry.
The Islamic Emirate has appointed Qalandar Ebad as head of the Ministry of Health and Abdul Bari Omar and Mohammad Hassan Ghiasi as his deputies, Mujahed said.
Among the new appointments, Mullah Mohammad Ibrahim has been appointed deputy minister at the Ministry of Interior. Nazar Mohammad Motamin has been appointed as head of the National Olympic Committee.
Mujibah-ur-Rehman Omar as Deputy Minister of Energy and Electricity, Ghulam Ghous as Deputy Minister of Disaster Management, Mohammad Faqir as Head of the Central Statistics Office, Gul Mohammad and Gul Zarin Kochi as Deputy Ministers of Borders and Tribal Affairs.
“These appointments, which are largely based on professionalism and competence, will further strengthen and standardize the structure of the Islamic Emirate,” said the Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed in a statement.
In response to reporters’ questions about the issues of inclusivity, the spokesman for the Islamic Emirate added that representatives of minorities, including the Hazaras, had also been appointed to key positions. According to him, Mohammad Hassan Ghiasi, the deputy minister of health, is from the Hazara community.
On the other hand, Mujahid said that the inauguration ceremony of the caretaker cabinet has been canceled. He added that the leadership of the government has decided that the officials of the ministries should start their work in order to avoid wasting time.
Meanwhile, the state-owned Bakhtar News Agency reported yesterday, quoting Ahmadjan Ahmadi, the acting director general of the administration, that the inauguration ceremony of the acting cabinet will be held soon. It also reported that the Taliban had set up a special commission to inaugurate cabinet members.
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