Humiliation of the Chief of Staff; Fasihuddin on Horseback, Pashtun Taliban by Helicopter.
Nearly five years after Qari Fasihuddin Fetrat was appointed Chief of Staff of the Taliban Ministry of Defense, field evidence indicates that he has been effectively reduced to a ceremonial and powerless position.
Informed sources report that Fasihuddin has no significant influence over major military decisions or staff appointments and has been deliberately denied access to basic facilities befitting his rank a situation observers describe as organized humiliation within the Taliban hierarchy.
A stark example occurred during his recent visit to Arghanchwah District in Badakhshan, where he traveled not by helicopter the standard mode of transport for Taliban officials but on horseback.
Observers note that this was not a personal choice, but a direct result of his powerlessness, as he was not permitted to use a helicopter.
Meanwhile, Pashtun Taliban governors and commanders enjoy unrestricted helicopter access even for minor local visits.
Observers argue that this stark disparity exposes deep ethnic discrimination within the Taliban power structure and mocks the group’s slogans of “unity, equality, and meritocracy.”
Sources emphasize that since his appointment, Fasihuddin has even had to plead to appoint individuals close to him, demonstrating that real power within the Taliban is based not on official rank, but on ethnicity and tribal monopoly—a humiliating reality that lays bare systematic injustice at the core of Taliban rule.
