Abdul Salam Zaeef, former Taliban ambassador to Pakistan, has emphasized that without understanding the world, meaningful interaction is impossible.
On Thursday, without specifying his audience, Zaeef wrote on social media platform X that if someone does not acknowledge their mistakes, they cannot implement reforms.
These comments follow Zaeef’s recent posts highlighting that tyranny leads to the decline of Islamic societies and that an “emir” who holds absolute power gradually becomes an “absolute despot.”
His comments appear to have sparked reactions from Taliban officials. On Thursday, Zaeef, a well-known diplomat of the first Taliban regime, clarified that his comments were aimed at strengthening the Islamic system and should not be misinterpreted. He highlighted that Afghans have fought and sacrificed for years to establish an Islamic system.
The former leading Taliban figure said: “If you don’t closely examine the past, you can’t build the future. If you don’t acknowledge your mistakes, you can’t correct them.”
He added: “If you don’t recognize the negative, you can’t think positively. If you can’t handle the truth, you won’t reach reality, and finally, if you don’t understand the world, you won’t be able to interact with it.”
Zaeef, who heads the “Afghan Foundation” in Kabul, stressed that “military strength, political skill, a strong economy and national support are the guarantees of the survival of the Islamic system and must receive serious attention.”
Previously, Zaeef had stated that after an Amir becomes a despot, he surrounds himself with sycophants and distances himself from people with knowledge and opinion.
