By: Asem Mustafa Awan
They are running away and mostly it is the officials who were supposed to serve the people. Two decades of war hasn’t made them loyal to the Taliban who took over Kabul without shedding a drop of blood and has the support of the local public in Afghanistan.
Afghan President, Ashraf Ghani fled from the scene and had always castigated Pakistan in one way or the other. Pakistan on the other hand has always supported dialogue and the landmark peace accord between the Taliban and the United States has been possible only with the help of Pakistan.
United Nations has approached Pakistan as Americans in haste like before has entrapped the officials who in the past were part of the government and carried the day-to-day affairs.
The looming crisis which if not addressed and planned accordingly will result in a catastrophe. The United States in haste has struck again and the people who served the nation have been enticed with the prospect of a better future abroad and these fleeing Afghans took the bait and the bite.
The United States along with its puppet regime failed miserably to plan accordingly as the bloodshed was only averted with the political acumen of the Taliban who declared amnesty for all and won the hearts.
The people surrounding Kabul airport are the ones who have been promised a bright future abroad particularly in the western countries though the reports have been otherwise as those fleeing the homeland have been placed in India, Qatar and Pakistan. The handling of these refugees has been different in different countries particularly in India where religious divide added with conflict of faiths has extremes.
Winter is approaching and many areas with snow will be inaccessible and UN has requested Pakistan to help and assist in bringing in the emergency food supplies. The war has depleted the existing medical supplies from Afghanistan and there has been an acute shortage of life-saving drugs.
Food and medicine are the two areas that need immediate response and the UN has sent a plane load according to reports reaching from Afghanistan which will be distributed to 40 odd facilities.
The approaching winter has made people come down to Kabul as the prevailing practice is to take supplies from capital and stash them at higher grounds for surviving the winter.
Pakistan has played a vital role for peace in Afghanistan and has been approached once again to assist in the overshadowing crisis which if not checked will make millions suffer.
America as always planned its safe exit just like in the past when it left Afghanistan in the lurch after the fall of Soviet Union. This time the world has accepted Afghanistan with Taliban taking the control and in order to avert any crisis is taking the needful steps.
United Nations role though controversial in some situations, is coming forward and has started its operations which is a good omen as the land locked country can only be approached from Pakistan which offers the closest access and Pakistan as always cared as it is ‘human lives’ that are at stake.