What is behind the “Baba Ghani Return” campaign? The return of a political figure or the beginning of a new project?

In recent days, a campaign titled “Baba Ghani Return” has been launched on social media; a campaign supported by supporters of former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai and calling for his return to Afghanistan under Taliban rule.

This campaign intensified after Ashraf Ghani condemned the recent Pakistani attacks on Afghan soil in response to these attacks and, a day later, released another message stating that he was ready to play a role in forming a national consensus among Afghans.

However, these statements were met with widespread and mostly critical reactions on social media. Many users criticized Ashraf Ghani for the way he left Afghanistan in 2021 and held him responsible for part of the country’s current crisis.

In such an environment, the formation of the “Baba Ghani Return” campaign has raised new questions. Is this campaign a reflection of the will of a section of Afghan society or an initiative by circles close to Ashraf Ghani? Some users also claim that this campaign may have been formed with specific political goals and even with the support of currents within the Taliban or other political actors. So far, no independent evidence has been provided to confirm these claims.

Some analysts and social media users believe that this campaign could be part of an effort to redefine Ashraf Ghani’s role in the Afghan political equation. On the other hand, another group believes that the ultimate goal of such measures may be to pave the way for greater interaction between the international community and the Taliban; although this hypothesis has not yet been documented and remains speculative.

In the past two decades, figures such as Hamid Karzai and Dr. Abdullah Abdullah have also supported dialogue and reconciliation with the Taliban. However, critics of this approach believe that a large part of Afghan society, especially the families of war victims, women and former security forces, still have not forgotten the memory of the Taliban attacks and violence and are opposed to any action that would lead to the legitimization of this group.

Finally, whether the “Baba Ghani Return” campaign is a spontaneous popular movement, an initiative of Ashraf Ghani’s supporters or part of a broader political program is an issue that cannot be stated with certainty at the moment. What is clear is that this campaign has once again made Ashraf Ghani’s name one of the controversial topics in the Afghan political and media space and has raised new questions about the future of the country’s political equations.

Shahpour Naibzada