As reported by IRAF, the Taliban have asked Abdul Qayum Kochi, uncle of former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, to contact Ghani and encourage him to return to Afghanistan, Kochi said, days after the group publicly invited the former president to come back.
The Taliban have not confirmed or denied Kochi’s claim.
The allegation follows remarks by Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, who said in an interview with IRAF TV that Ghani could return to Afghanistan “like any Afghan citizen.”
Kochi said he had been asked by the Taliban to “discuss Ashraf Ghani’s return,” but it was not immediately clear at what level the request had been made or whether it had been coordinated with the Taliban leadership.
Taliban silence leaves claim unconfirmed
No Taliban official has so far publicly responded to Kochi’s account.
The lack of an official response has raised questions about the seriousness of the Taliban’s efforts to bring Ghani back to Afghanistan.
The reported outreach comes as the Taliban continue efforts to encourage former political figures to return to the country.
Ghani has lived outside Afghanistan since 2021
Ghani left Afghanistan on Aug. 15, 2021, as the Islamic Republic government collapsed, and has since been living in the United Arab Emirates.
He has rarely spoken publicly about the possibility of returning to Afghanistan in the years since, instead emphasizing the need for “national dialogue” to address the country’s crisis.
In several interviews, Ghani has criticized Taliban policies and said Afghanistan needed an “inclusive political structure.”
Taliban seek to bring back former officials
The Taliban’s recent moves come as the group faces growing public discontent, external pressure and the activities of armed opposition fronts.
In recent months, the Taliban have sought to encourage former officials to return, presenting the government as open to political figures from the previous administration.
After taking control of Afghanistan, the Taliban established a commission tasked with contacting Afghan political figures.
Some lower- and mid-ranking officials from the former government have returned to Afghanistan, but prominent political figures, senior security officials and many civil society activists have continued to reject the Taliban’s invitations.
