Mullah Hasan May Head Proposed Taliban Govt, Mullah Baradar to be Deputy: Pak Media Report

Peshawar: Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund, the chief of the Taliban's powerful decision-making body 'Rehbari Shura', has been named as Afghanistan's new head of state by the insurgent group's top leader Mullah Hebatullah Akhundzada, according to a Pakistani media report.

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Chairman of Taliban's Political Office in Doha, and Mullah Abdus Salam will work as deputies of Mullah Hasan in the new Taliban government, which is likely to be announced next week, The News International reported, citing multiple sources.

Mullah Hasan is presently head of the Taliban’s powerful decision-making body - Rehbari Shura or leadership council - which serves much like a government Cabinet running all the group's affairs subject to the approval of the top leader.

Mullah Hebatullah himself proposed Mullah Hassan's name to head the government, the paper said, adding that the issues within ranks of the Taliban regarding the formation of the government have been resolved.

According to the paper, Mullah Hassan belongs to Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban, and was among the founders of the armed movement. He worked for 20 years as head of Rehbari Shura and remained close to Mullah Hebatullah.

He had served as foreign minister and deputy prime minister during the Taliban's previous government in Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.

Mulla Yaqoob, son of the Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar, will be the new defence minister, the paper said.

Yaqoob was a student of Mullah Hebatullah, who had earlier appointed him as head of the powerful military commission of the Taliban.

Sirajuddin Haqqani, the head of the notorious Haqqani network and son of the famous anti-Soviet warlord Jalaluddin Haqqani, is likely to get the portfolio of interior minister, while Mullah Ameer Khan Muttaqi will be the new foreign minister, according to the Taliban sources.

Sirajuddin Haqqani is a specially designated global terrorist. According to the FBI website, the US Department of State is offering a reward of up to USD 5 million for information leading directly to the arrest of Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is thought to stay in Pakistan, specifically the Miram Shah area in North Waziristan, and maintains close ties to the Taliban and al Qaeda.

He is wanted for questioning in connection with the January 2008 attack on a hotel in Kabul that killed six people, including an American citizen. He is believed to have coordinated and participated in cross-border attacks against the US and coalition forces in Afghanistan.

He was also allegedly involved in the planning of the assassination attempt on Afghan President Hamid Karzai in 2008, the FBI website noted.

Citing the Taliban sources, the paper said Mullah Zabiullah Mujahid, whose name was earlier proposed for information minister, will now be the spokesperson for the new head of

The Taliban last week postponed the formation of a new government as the insurgent group struggles to give shape to a broad-based and inclusive administration acceptable to the international community.

The development comes days after Pakistan's spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt Gen Hameed dashed to Kabul on an unannounced visit last week, amidst mounting pressure on the Taliban to form an inclusive government acceptable to the international community.

During his visit, the ISI chief had met Mullah Baradar and Hizb-e-Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and discussed the current situation in Afghanistan.

According to reports, the new government in Kabul will be based on the lines of the Iranian leadership, with the group's top religious leader Mullah Hebatullah as Afghanistan's supreme authority.

In Iran, the supreme leader is the highest political and religious authority of the country. He ranks above the president and appoints the heads of the military, the government, and the judiciary. The supreme leader has the final say in the political, religious and military affairs of the country.

Taliban Arrest Journalists Covering Rally

In Kabul, the Taliban fired gunshots to disperse a rally on Tuesday in Kabul and arrested several Afghan journalists who were covering the demonstration, witnesses and Afghan media outlets said, according to The Associated Press.

The protest began outside the Pakistan Embassy in the Afghan capital to denounce what the demonstrators allege as Pakistan's interference in Afghanistan, especially Islamabad's alleged support for the latest Taliban offensive that routed anti-Taliban fighters in Panjshir province.

Posts on social media demanded the release of the arrested reporters.

An Afghan journalist who was among those detained and who was later freed told AP he was punished by the Taliban.

“They made me rub my nose on the ground and apologise for covering the protest,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fears for his safety.

“Journalism in Afghanistan is getting harder," he added.

Afghanistan's TOLOnews TV channel said its cameraman Wahid Ahmadi was among those arrested.

Since taking control of Afghanistan last month, there have been reports of Taliban beating and threatening journalists.

In one known case, the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle said Taliban fighters going door to door in a hunt for one of its journalists shot and killed a member of his family and seriously injured another.