For yet another year, Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada remained silent on August 19, the anniversary of Afghanistan’s independence from British rule.
While the Taliban held an official ceremony in Kabul attended by ministers and senior officials, Akhundzada—who rarely appears in public—neither attended nor issued a statement. His repeated absence from national observances has now become routine.
Critics argue that his silence signals a lack of commitment to the values championed by King Amanullah Khan, who led the country to independence and sought to modernize Afghanistan through educational reforms, women’s rights, and political autonomy—principles at odds with the Taliban’s rigid ideology.
During the event, Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi criticized Amanullah Khan, claiming the former monarch disregarded the values of Afghanistan’s Muslim population by trying to impose foreign cultures.
Some observers suggest the leader’s silence, paired with the high visibility of Taliban ministers at the ceremony, could point to internal disagreements within the group.
Dissenting voices note that Afghanistan may be the only country where, on its national independence day, the self-declared head of state fails to issue even a message of congratulations.
