The dismissal of Haji Juma Khan Fateh as the deputy governor of Zabul is merely a part of a general restructuring of administration in the province. It was yet another indication of an underlying problem within the Taliban regime; the continued rise of power by a small group of Kandahari-Pashtun elites and the gradual erosion of non-Pashtun commanders who previously played a pivotal role in the Taliban’ spread in northern and central Afghanistan. The Taliban’s claim to be a national government is illusory, but it is not because of its internal structure. Power is becoming more centralized and under control of a small group of tribes, while Tajik, Uzbek and Hazara power is being decreased by dismissing, arresting, disarming and marginalizing the tribes.

Current practice of ethnic exclusion is one of the hallmarks of Taliban rule. But, the leadership of the Taliban is still almost entirely Pashtun. Senior and middle management are filled with Pashtun speakers and there is only a tokenistic proportion of Tajiks, Uzbeks and Hazaras in management. This is an imbalance that reveals the lie of the Taliban’s “inclusivity”. A regime which leaves out the major communities in decision making in no way can be termed as national, Islamic or representative.

This applies to the cabinet as well. Women are completely missing, the Hazaras have no voice and the non-Pashtun population is marginalized in the power of the state. This is no ordinary number problem. It’s a matter of control. A number of symbolic appointments will not affect the reality of failure to have control of actual decision-making power in Kandahar based leadership circles. The Taliban has acquired a new........

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