Afghanistan's Shiite Minority Hazaras Call On Taliban To Set Up Inclusive Government

Shiite leader Sayed Hussain Alimi Balkhi said the country's Shiite clerics have issued a declaration stating that a future parliament in Afghanistan should include members of different sects of Islam

Associated Press

Updated on: 24 August 2021 6:58 pm

Afghanistan's Hazaras, a Shiite minority, are calling on the Taliban to set up an inclusive government in which all ethnic groups would have a voice.

Shiite leader Sayed Hussain Alimi Balkhi said the country's Shiite clerics have issued a declaration stating that a future parliament in Afghanistan should include members of different sects of Islam.

He asked for freedom of religion under an Islamic government and asked that there be separate courts for Shiites that follow Jafari jurisprudence, “in accordance with the provisions of law.”

The Shiite concerns come as the Taliban negotiating team in Qatar has been was insisting on implementation of Islamic law, and specifically Hanafi laws which are a major school of Sunni jurisprudence, in the laws and the constitution of Afghanistan.

The Taliban are a Sunni militant group.