'Mullah Hassan to head proposed Taliban govt, Baradar to serve as his deputy'

Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund the chief of the Talibans powerful decisionmaking body Rehbari Shura has been named as Afghanistans new head of state by the insurgent groups top leader Mullah Hebatullah Akhundzada according to a Pakistani media reportMullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Chairman of Talibans 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 sourcesMullah Hasan is presently head of the Talibans powerful decisionmaking body Rehbari Shura or leadership council which serves much like a governmentCabinet running all the groups affairs subject to the approval of the top leaderMullah Hebatullah himself proposed Mullah Hassans 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 resolvedAccording 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 HebatullahHe had served as foreign minister and deputy prime minister during the Talibans previous government in Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001Also read Death to Pakistan Protesters chant antiPak slogans in Kabul over airstrikes in PanjshirMulla Yaqoob son of the Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar will be the new defence minister the paper saidYaqoob was a student of Mullah Hebatullah who had earlier appointed him as head of the powerful military commission of the TalibanSirajuddin Haqqani the head of the notorious Haqqani network and son of the famous antiSoviet 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 sourcesSirajuddin 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 QaedaHe 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 crossborder attacks against the US and coalition forces in AfghanistanHe was also allegedly involved in the planning of the assassination attempt on Afghan President Hamid Karzai in 2008 the FBI website notedCiting 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 stateThe Taliban last week postponed the formation of a new government as the insurgent group struggles to give shape to a broadbased and inclusive administration acceptable to the international communityThe development comes days after Pakistans spy agency InterServices 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 communityDuring his visit the ISI chief had met Mullah Baradar and HizbeIslami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and discussed the current situation in AfghanistanAccording to reports the new government in Kabul will be based on the lines of the Iranian leadership with the groups top religious leader Mullah Hebatullah as Afghanistans supreme authorityIn 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 countryThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever