By: Sibtain Mir
After the long 20 year war, the Taliban are close to their dream of government in Afghanistan. On the other hand, the president of the US (Joe Biden) had announced his victory some days ago while addressing the press. He said that we (America) have achieved our targets in Afghanistan_therefore_ it’s high time to pull out our troops from Afghanistan. But at the same time, the surrendering of the Afghan military before the Taliban was quite shocking and disappointing for president Joe Biden.
The Taliban’s capture of the major areas without mass destruction has dropped a bomb for all the experts and analysts who were expecting a hard battle between the Taliban and Afghan military forces. Undoubtedly, the Taliban will make their government in Afghanistan even if the world acknowledges them or not. Undoubtedly, the Taliban fought a long war and got success, but still, the game is not over for the Taliban. Some questions are being resonated everywhere; what will be the future of Afghanistan? Is Afghanistan going to prosper? Will women be allowed to acquire education during the Taliban regime? How will The Taliban make its economy robust or will it be a crumbled economy? What will be the foreign policy of Afghanistan after the Taliban government? What will be the initiatives of the Afghan Taliban in wiping out the corruption and narco-trafficking which has penetrated the system?
Firstly, peace and prosperity will be the first and the foremost objective of the Taliban regime because they have been fighting since 2001, henceforth, they will avoid chaos. Moreover, international pressure will be the other element that will hinder them from fighting. Additionally, Hazbitullah Mujahid – the leader of the Afghan Taliban in his first press conference indicated peace and tranquility. Though, bringing peace and tranquility to Afghanistan will be the hard nut to crack for the Taliban. Will the Taliban accomplish their promise of peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan or they will back out of their promise – we have to wait for a few months.
Second, will women have full liberty regarding their educational rights? According to some experts, women will be deprived of their right to education. Contrary to this, the Afghan Taliban has announced a general amnesty for all. Regarding women’s empowerment, the Afghan Taliban also ensured that they will give full liberty to women’s education. According to Taliban leadership; women are not bound to get an education, they are free but in some boundaries. And, we have witnessed girls going to school without any prohibition after the Taliban came to Kabul. We have seen women getting interviews of Taliban representatives and watched foreign women working as reporters in the field as well, which is a positive development for Afghanistan. Some experts, specifically; international media called it a betrayal policy by the Taliban to amass national and international accolades. Nevertheless; what is right, what is wrong, time is the better teller.
Thirdly, foreign policy will be a rock-hard challenge for the Afghan Taliban. America, India, and many European countries will never recognize the Taliban government. Hard bashing defeat and humiliation will be indelible for the US. Similarly, India’s mammoth investment will be in vain after the Taliban government installation in power that is very pinching for India. Thus, recognition of the Taliban government by India will be out of the question and it is not going to happen. Therefore, the Taliban needs a holistic and wise approach while dealing with its foreign policy. It should have good relations with its neighboring countries I.e. Pakistan, China, Iran, and Russia. Moreover, the Taliban will have to vanish away all its internal differences as well.
Corruption was the first reason that became the reason for the downfall of the Afghan military and Ghani’s government. Even in the time of escaping, Ghani took away a bunch of dollars with him. Similarly, the Afghan military force despite having sophisticated and associated paraphernalia delivered by the US and its western allies was unable to defend its people from the Taliban. This is because of corruption and nepotism due to which the Afghan military failed. Therefore, the Taliban wants transparency and a corruption-free society. The statements and announcements coming from the Taliban leadership show that a transparent and drug-free nation will be the first and foremost agenda of their government.
For achieving the above goals, a comprehensive approach will be required. Good foreign policy, liberty regarding women’s education, and freedom of speech, etc; are the prerequisites that will pave the way for a flourishing society. In addition to that, all the workers who have run away from the country must be called back peacefully to rerun the economy. The tranquility and serenity can be achieved via peaceful and cordial relations with neighbors. And the Taliban will have to relinquish all its reservations with its neighbors to acquire peace in Afghanistan. Otherwise, a minor mistake can become an Achilles heel for the Taliban because they are already in hot water.
The writer is a freelance columnist based in Islamabad.