By: Muhammad Talha Zubair
Brain Drain is inevitable in Afghanistan as people fleeing the country owing to security threats are mostly intellectuals, intelligentsia, engineers, school teachers, doctors, and other skilled practitioners. The afghan people who have fled to other countries should come back to their country and serve the nation-as they have already served- once they see the peaceful environment as promised by the Taliban. Only this way Afghanistan can have peace and prosperity.
Taliban have yet to form a government, Once they are done with the delegation of powers, they will desperately need skilled people to run the affairs of the state.
Brain Drain is Inevitable in Afghanistan as tens of thousands of people are still waiting to be evacuated by the US and its Allies. The majority of the educated and skilled Afghan nationals want to leave the country while on the other hand the US and its allies are taking the people along with them on priority whom they have trained over the two-decade periods or who have got education and training in the allied/NATO countries and came back to Afghanistan. This is certainly for a reason i.e. to give tough time to the Taliban Government and ultimately will be disastrous for the socio-economic situation of the country. Over one hundred thousand skilled People are anticipated to leave the country. The numbers may increase but the majority don’t have direct connections with the US and its allies as not everyone has the same luxuries or the opportunities under twenty years of US occupation and rule under President Hamid Karzai or President Ashraf Ghani. These anticipated hundred thousand are assumed to have availed the special status or it would be right to say that they are counted ones.
Although the Taliban has multiples times emphasized that they promise amnesty for all who have either worked with or facilitated US and NATO in any role, still, there is a report from the United Nations that states that the Taliban are searching door to door for those who have worked for NATO and threatening their families. There are incidents where the Taliban fighters on their own are killing such people for seeking vengeance who have cooperated with the US and NATO. This creates a disparity between what is being said and what is being done. There is a communication gap between the Taliban leadership and the fighters on the ground. This raises very serious concern because if such more incidents of execution happen, it will be enough to shatter the trust of people in the Taliban which people are already finding very hard to have in the promises that the Taliban are making. These executions can be considered as an individual act but cannot be regarded as the policy of the Taliban. Because, if it were a policy, Kabul would have witnessed a great bloodbath as half of the Kabul worked for the US.
Taliban have yet to form a government. Once they are done with the delegation of powers, they will desperately need skilled people to run the affairs of the state. Owing to the situation prevailing there, the Taliban government will find it hard to sustain and retain healthy minds. This will create another challenge for the newly formed government. The people fleeing the country owing to security threats are mostly intellectuals, intelligentsia, engineers, school teachers, doctors and other skilled practitioners. They are also the priority of the NATO embassies as an agenda to take them on board to give tough time to the Taliban government by creating intellectual scarcity.
Taliban have very few numbers of skilled persons with them. Most of the people associated with the Taliban are fighters and they will be accommodated in the line of defense and security. To run the social system of the country, experts and educated people are required. The war-torn country cannot bear a societal disaster anymore. It needs people to help it grow and steer it in the right direction. It needs youngsters to stay there and serve the country who don’t have an option of leaving the country but to stay. The Taliban government should provide safety and security to the youngsters so that they may be productive and contribute in national growth. This society, which has seen the wrath of war for the past four decades, needs educators and practitioners to introduce this society to the modern-day world and its necessities.
The Afghan people have the right to explore the world and avail opportunities. For this, the intellectuals have to play their role in uplifting the afghan nation and their identity. The minds of Afghanistan have to stay home and play their role in the transition that is coming. Taliban Government also fears brain drain and it needs minds that together make the backbone of the country. The impacts of brain drain on society will be catastrophic. Many people have become jobless and due to uncertainty and insecurity, there are chances for civil war. This is the time where the people have to be patient and the government has to be generous in order to maintain the social fabric intact.
Afghanistan has been famous for being the “Graveyard of Empires”. It is now the time when Afghanistan should become Empire in itself and “Engrave” itself as a prosperous, technologically advanced and moderate nation. It is only possible when the son of soils will serve the motherland and will not flee to other countries. The afghan people who have fled to other countries should come back to their country and serve the nation as they have already served- once they see the peaceful environment as promised by the Taliban. Moreover, the Taliban government should abide by their promises made to the afghan nation and should cultivate an environment of plurality and inclusiveness to fulfill the dream of a peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan for everyone.
The writer is a public policy and political analyst. He can be reached at [email protected] and tweets @TalhaZubair91