KABUL (SW) – Analysts believe the Iranian regime is striving hard to infiltrate the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan with its pawns in a bid to secure regional interests.
Abdul Qahar Balkhi, the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate, wrote on his Twitter account that a high-level delegation led by the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi had arrived in Iran at the official invitation and would hold political, economic and trade talks with Iranian officials. He added the two sides would also discuss the issue of Afghan refugees in Iran.
However, some analysts believe that Iran is trying to put pressure on the Islamic Emirate’s officials to place their influential people or politicians from the former Afghan government in the Islamic Emirate’s government.
International affairs expert Khpalwak Zazai says many former regime officials and politicians are now based in Iran and meet daily with Iranian officials.
He described the men as “influential people in Iran” and said Iran wanted to incorporate some of them into the Taliban in order to gain a foothold in the government.
“Iran has an interest in the Afghan people and wants those in Afghanistan who are committed to it and not committed to their people to be in the system in Afghanistan and to be politically active here and to address this issue,” he said. “In order to achieve this, they are making every effort to put pressure on the ruling system.”
Another analyst, Moin Khan Samkani, called Iran’s attempt to deploy influential people in the Islamic Emirate as a violation of diplomatic principles.
He called the move an interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs and said Iran had repeatedly called for the formation of a coalition government to achieve its goals.
It is to be noted that a delegation including Amir Khan Muttaqi, Acting Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate, Qari Din Mohammad Hanif, Acting Minister of Economy and Nawaluddin Aziz, Acting Minister of Commerce and Industries left for Iran on Saturday evening.
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