The Afghani currency has been crumbling, all while prices for essential goods have been soaring as the country’s already fragile economy has spiraled into despair…reports Asian Lite News
Ever since the Taliban took over Afghanistans capital on August 15, the war-torn countrys already fragile economy has spiraled into despair, The New York Post reported.
With much of the international community refusing to recognise the Taliban regime, officially termed the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, hard cash is barely trickling in.
The currency (afghani) has been crumbling, all while prices for essential goods have been soaring, and the financial crisis is fast morphing into a humanitarian catastrophe, the report said.
Most Taliban members themselves are said not to have received money in months.
As a result, a significant portion of foot soldiers in areas outside major cities subsist on little food and carry around thin blankets to sleep in trucks or wherever there is suitable shelter.
Sources told The New York Post that Taliban members get “sponsored” by community members who give them food and other needed supplies.
They can also get handouts from commanders when they take over new areas or find cash.
According to many economic experts, an informal economy, known as the hawala banking system, may be the only way for Afghans, including the new government, to stay afloat.
Hawala, an Arabic word for transfer, originated in the 8th century, primarily for trading along the Silk Road.
While still widely used in parts of the Middle East, Africa and Asia, it is based entirely on the honour system — a sender is issued a tracking number to give to the recipient, who then picks up the money from an associated hawala merchant in another village, province or country.
Relying almost solely on such a system, as Afghans have little choice but to do now, risks plunging the country further into becoming a pariah cut off from the international banking system, akin to North Korea and Iran, the report added.
Security officials on the Pakistani side of the crossing point, however, said vehicular traffic continued as loaded vehicles from both sides crossed the border…reports Asian Lite News
The Afghan Taliban has stopped the return of Afghan nation from Pakistan to their country through the Torkham border, local media reported.
Security officials on the Pakistani side of the crossing point, however, said vehicular traffic continued as loaded vehicles from both sides crossed the border, Dawn reported.
Citing the local sources, the Pakistani publication reported that hundreds of Afghans aspiring to come to Pakistan had gathered at the Afghan side of the border in the hope that the crossing would reopen for regular pedestrian movement.
Earlier in May, Pakistan closed its border for pedestrian movement in order to prevent transmission of coronavirus from across the border. The country, however, allowed Afghans to go back to their country and also Pakistanis to return.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan plunged into crisis last month after Kabul fell to the Taliban and the democratically elected government of former president Ashraf Ghani collapsed. (ANI)
There have been unconfirmed reports of disagreements within the Taliban’s leadership since Baradar disappeared from public view in recent days…reports Asian Lite News
Days after Taliban forming a new government in Afghanistan, a major row broke out between leaders of the Taliban at the Presidential Palace, media reported.
The argument was between the group’s co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and a cabinet member at the presidential palace, the BBC reported.
There have been unconfirmed reports of disagreements within the Taliban’s leadership since Baradar disappeared from public view in recent days, it was reported.
Meanwhile, the reports have been officially denied.
Quoting sources, BBC reported that, Baradar and Khalil ur-Rahman Haqqani – the minister for refugees and a prominent figure within the militant Haqqani network – had exchanged strong words, as their followers brawled with each other nearby.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s new acting Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi has called for sanctions to be lifted against the ‘Islamic Emirate’.
Speaking at a presser in Kabul, Muttaqi on Tuesday called on Afghan expats to return home to help develop the country, Ariana News reported.
He said the Islamic Emirate is willing to work with all countries including the US but made it clear they “will not be dictated to”. Muttaqi added, “we can not allow any sanctions or embargoes” to be imposed on Afghanistan.
(Image Source ANI)
Last week, the Taliban formed the interim “Islamic Emirate”, appointing in its new government hardliners who oversaw the fight against the US-led military coalition. The cabinet members consist of many Taliban figures that are on the UN Sanctions List.
Taliban had announced the caretaker government of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, naming Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund as interim prime minister and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, a co-founder of the group, as his deputy.
After the Taliban announced its interim government that included UN-designated terrorists, the US reacted by saying that the UNSC will base any decisions on de-listing terrorists, based on the Taliban’s human rights policies.
Meanwhile, on the issue of further sanctions on the Taliban, the group’s spokesperson Suhail Shaheen in a recent interview was seen on the backfoot. He said it would be a kind of injustice against the people of Afghanistan to impose sanctions.
“While we are turning a new page which is a phase of the construction of Afghan peace, for the people of Afghanistan, they impose sanctions at this critical phase. … So, I think it would be a great and blatant injustice to impose sanctions against the people of Afghanistan at this most critical of times,” Shaheen said in an interview with China’s Global Times. (with inputs from ANI)
Afghan women protest Taliban's hijab diktat by sharing photos in colourful dresses
Photos have emerged of a group of female students wearing head-to-toe black robes and waving Taliban flags in the lecture hall of a government-run university in Kabul….reports Asian Lite News
Afghan women around the world are protesting the Taliban’s new hijab diktat in schools by posting photos of themselves wearing colorful traditional dresses on social media, CNN reported.
The Taliban have mandated the segregation of genders in classrooms and said that female students, lecturers and employees must wear hijabs in accordance with the group’s interpretation of Sharia law.
Photos have emerged of a group of female students wearing head-to-toe black robes and waving Taliban flags in the lecture hall of a government-run university in Kabul.
Afghan women protest Taliban’s hijab diktat by sharing photos in colourful dresses
Other Afghan women responded by posting pictures of themselves in bright and colorful traditional Afghan dresses — a stark contrast to the black hijab mandate outlined by the Taliban.
Bahar Jalali, a former faculty member of the American University of Afghanistan according to her LinkedIn profile, helped kick off the picture posting campaign, according to other women who shared photos on Twitter., CNN reported.
Jalali tweeted a picture of a woman in a full black dress and veil and said: “No woman has ever dressed like this in the history of Afghanistan. This is utterly foreign and alien to Afghan culture. I posted my pic in the traditional Afghan dress to inform, educate and dispel the misinformation that is being propagated by Taliban.”
Other Afghan women soon followed her lead on social media, the report added.
Waslat Hasrat-Nazimi, head of the Afghan service at DW News, tweeted a picture of herself in traditional Afghan dress and headdress with the comment: “This is Afghan culture and this is how Afghan women dress.”
Shekiba Teimori, an Afghan singer and activist who fled Kabul last month, told CNN that the “hijab existed before Kabul’s fall. We could see Hijabi women, but this was based on family decisions and not the government.”
She said before the Taliban came to Afghanistan, her ancestors were “wearing the same colorful Afghan dresses you see in my pictures”.
The organisations supporting free media in Afghanistan say economic problems are serious, and operating under restrictions of Taliban regime creates big challenges for media…reports Asian Lite News
At least 153 Afghan media outlets have stopped operations in 20 provinces following the Taliban takeover of the war-torn nation last month, a media report citing organisations supporting free media said.
The TOLO News report on Monday said these outlets include radio, print and TV channels, and their closure was mainly due to economic problems and restrictions.
“If the organisations supporting media do not pay attention to the outlets, soon we will witness the closing of the remaining ones in the country,” TOLO News quoted Hujatullah Mujadadi, deputy head of the Afghanistan Federation of Journalists, as saying.
Masroor Lutfi, representative of the Afghanistan National Journalists’ Union, has “urged the international organisations to take immediate action to address this problem. Otherwise, soon it will be the end of press freedom and other human and civil liberties”.
According to the TOLO News report, the Paktika-based Milma Radio is one of the outlets that recently stopped its activities.
It was established in 2011 and covered political, cultural, economic and sports stories.
“Due to an inappropriate working environment and economic problems, we stopped our activities,” said Yaqob Khan Manzoor, editor-in-chief of Milma Radio.
According to Manzoor, Milma Radio had 35 employees with an outreach to 13 provinces.
Now all of the former employees are jobless.
The organisations supporting free media in Afghanistan say economic problems are serious, and operating under restrictions creates big challenges for media.
The Taliban, however, has said they will try to create safe environment for media and journalists to continue their jobs.
The women were carrying with them Taliban flags while the speakers criticized the west for what they called, an illegal invasion of Afghanistan….reports Hamza Ameer
After the Taliban deployed security in Kabul opted to aerial gunfire, lashes and manhandling of female protesters, who were marching in an anti-Taliban rally in Kabul; veiled women have taken to the streets and staged a rally in support of the Taliban regime.
Around 300 women, wearing black veils marched on the streets of Kabul and later sat at the Kabul university lecture theatre, asserting their support to the Taliban leadership, especially on gender segregation.
The women were carrying with them Taliban flags while the speakers criticized the west for what they called, an illegal invasion of Afghanistan.
In comparison to a women-led anti-Taliban protest rally, where participants and even journalists were blocked, stopped and assaulted by the Taliban security personal; the Taliban heavily guarded this particular pro-Taliban rally.
Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid, responding to a question about the anti-Taliban protest rally, said that there is no permission for any rally unless it is permitted by the Taliban regime.
This interpreted in one way means that anyone wanting to raise their voice against the Taliban, will not be allowed to voice their concern, while on the other hand, it means that a pro-Taliban event or rally, will be allowed by the Taliban regime, primarily because it would act at a counter-narrative to anti-Taliban sentiments, especially with reference to women’s rights in the country.
The speakers at the Shaheed Rabbani Education University, where the pro-Taliban women gathered, said they were against those women, who are protesting against the Taliban on the streets, insisting that those women are not representatives of women.
“Is it freedom to like the last government? No, it is not freedom. The last government was misusing women. They were recruiting women just by their beauty”, said one of the speakers at the gathering.
“Those not wearing the Hijab are harming all of us”, said Shabana Omari, a student of the university, who criticized women who are not wearing headscarves.
“We are supporting our government with all our strength”, said another speaker Somaiya.
Women’s rights in Afghanistan have become a global debate, especially after the Taliban announced their interim government with zero representation of women and later banned women from playing any sport, as it would reveal their faces and bodies.
The new Taliban government maintains that it would be providing all rights to the women, which are legitimate under the Islamic Shariah law, which includes Hijab or Burka as the dresscode.
The Hazara community had been a target for not only the Taliban, but also the Islamic State (IS) factions in the past…reports Hamza Ameer
On Friday, Hundreds of Hazaras worshippers gathered in mosques to offer Friday prayers on the outskirts of Kabul, a first after the Taliban took over the country.
The Hazara community, belonging to the Shiite sect, had previously been persecuted, executed and ethnically cleansed by the Taliban and Daesh militant groups for being Shia Muslim.
However, with the current and a little ‘moderate’ new Taliban government in place, they feel a little secure. But this feeling of security also comes with traumatic fears of the past, making them uncertain about their present and the future.
The Hazara community had been a target for not only the Taliban, but also the Islamic State (IS) factions in the past. And with the newly-formed interim government of the Taliban, the Hazaras fear of being shut out and cleansed again as the Taliban leadership comprises hardline militants, the old guards from Pushtun ethnicity.
“It is largely made of a single ethnicity. Pushtuns dominate the Taliban government. We do not see any participation of the Hazaras, which is a huge concern,” said Hassanzadah, a local from the Hazara community.
The Hazara community comprises the country’s Shia minority, while the Taliban leadership consists of hardline Sunni sect of Islam, who in the past were savage towards the Shiites during their last regime in the 1990s.
The Hazaras have not forgotten one of the country’s most violent attacks on their community, when rallies were bombed, hospitals were targeted and ambushed attacks on the community were carried out.
The most recent attack on the Hazara community was during June this year, when a Daesh-linked suicide bomber targeted a school and claimed the lives of hundreds.
Today, the Hazaras feel scared to see the Taliban-led security forces, who are now a normal sight on the streets of Afghanistan.
“There is no doubt that the people of Afghanistan want an inclusive government in which all ethnicities, followers of all faiths and different segments of society are represented,” said Abdul Qadir Alemi, the Imam (prayer leader) of a mosque.
Another major concern for the Hazara community is the exclusion from government offices as many of them have gone jobless since the Taliban takeover and have no hopes of inclusion in the current Taliban-led government.
“There are many people who used to work for the government. They have all become unemployed now. There is a lot of anxiety and worry. It’s not like the Taliban are killing us, but it is better to die than to live suffocated like this,” said Suleiman, a Shiite worshipper at the mosque.
Maintaining livelihoods has become another major challenge for the Shiite community under the Taliban rule. They say that while they have not yet seen anything bad being done to their community by the Taliban for the moment, soaring prices of basic food items, coupled with unemployment of many community members, are pushing them into starvation.
“We have not seen anything bad from the Taliban, but there is no work for the people. What are we supposed to do about our hunger,” asked Suleiman.
Experts have highlighted that the women in Afghanistan are the ones who have to pay the highest price in the Afghanistan crisis…reports Asian Lite News
Amid mounting concerns over ongoing situaton in Afghanistan, a group of experts in Delhi urged Taliban to stop abuses against Afghan women.
A Delhi-based think-tank, Red Lantern Analytica, on friday held a discussion titiled “Role of International Media in Safeguarding Women’s rights under Taliban,” The Economic Times reported.
According to the The Economic Times reports, Nargis Nehan, Former Minister, Mines and petroleum, Afghanistan, Zarifa Ghafari, Afghanistan’s former Mayor and Human Rights Activist, Heather Barr, Associate Director, Women’s Rights Division and other eminent experts on human rights have attended the discussion.
As the current human rights situation in Afghanistan deteriorate to alarming levels, with women and children being the biggest sufferers, the think-tank said that despite the Taliban’s assurance that the new government would support human rights, including the rights of women, the truth remained far from such statements.
“There was a belief that the Afghans were disappointed with Ashraf Ghani’s government, they had supported the Taliban. But this was not the case. The support was acquainted with the fear of death. yet the fact that the former president would run away leaving his countrymen at the mercy of the Talibans was absolutely unpredictable”. The economic Times quoted Nargis Nehan as saying.
While discussing the topic, experts have highlighted that the women in Afghanistan have been part of reconstruction, not war. But women are the ones who have to pay the highest price in the process and the experts accused international media of spreading the Taliban propaganda by diluting the facts.
Meanwhile, a group of Afghan women staged a rally in Kabul demanding the inclusion of females in the country’s new government headed by the Taliban, according to a media report.
Friday’s rally came a day after a similar one was staged in Herat amid the Taliban trying to form a new government following their complete takeover of the country last month, said the TOLO News report.
The Taliban, who are yet to decide on female leadership roles, have already said that women can work in government institutions but not in higher-ranking positions.
During the rally in Kabul, the participants demanded the Taliban and the international community to preserve women’s achievements in Afghanistan in the last two decades and respect their political, social, and economic rights.
“No society will make progress without women’s active role. Therefore, women’s political participation in the future government and its cabinet should be considered,” TOLO News quoted civil society activist Tarannom Saeedi as saying.
Another activist, Razia said that “we want to work like men under the Islamic law”.
The participants urged women across the country to go back to work despite the Taliban coming back to power.
After the fall of Kabul on August 15, the Taliban turned away several female presenters working at RTA (the national radio and television facilitates in Afghanistan) and did not let them continue working at the station.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has also said that women can work under Islamic principles, without providing further details.
The European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS) organised a well-attended and vibrant Webinar, titled “Afghanistan and the region post – Taliban takeover” … reports Asian Lite News
A group of international experts, politicians, scholars and policy analysts expressed their views on the situation in Afghanistan and the region of South Asia following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
The event was moderated by Mr. Junaid Qureshi, Director EFSAS, and was joined by a large number of attendees, including think tank-representatives, NGO members, scholars and researchers.
During her presentation, Ms. Nargis Nehan, Former Minister of Afghanistan on Mines, Petroleum & Industry, and Founder of the NGO ‘Equality for Peace and Democracy’, argued that the Taliban cabinet, announced recently by the group, failed to represent both gender and ethnic diversity of Afghanistan. The Taliban, she contended further, did not represent a popular mass movement but had capitalized on endemic corruption in the country, the relative weakness of the Afghan security forces and the absence of a unified national leadership.
Ms. Nargis Nehan, Former Minister of Afghanistan on Mines, Petroleum & Industry, and Founder of the NGO ‘Equality for Peace and Democracy’
The Taliban’s victory was said to be enabled by the 2020 Doha Agreement, which allowed the Taliban to ultimately ignore the pursuit of a more multipolar peace process. That said, Ms. Nehan argued that the military situation deteriorated more rapidly than commonly anticipated and has now reached a stage where the Taliban’s victory is treated as a fait accompli by the international community, which has adopted a tactic of “wait and watch”.
The Taliban’s social policy and ideological orientation, Ms. Nehan argued, did not diverge significantly from that of the first Taliban regime in power between 1996 and 2001. Yet, the governance difficulties faced by a Taliban administration now differ as Afghan people have shown civic awareness and have moved to resist the Taliban, e.g., through public protests. As the Afghan society has changed significantly since the Taliban first lost control over the country in 2001, the new Taliban administration is likely to face various governance issues. Without advocating for a Taliban regime, Ms. Nehan argued that new governmental designs and policies should focus on ensuring social cohesion and social peace.
The international community, it was argued, should engage with the Taliban on a conditional basis that ties aid provisions to governance performance. In this context, communication channels should be established on a multilateral-collective level rather than a unilateral-national level. Lastly, Ms. Nehan argued that humanitarian assistance to the Panjshir Valley, which is under attack by the Taliban, must be delivered as swiftly and as efficiently as possible.
Dr. Dorothée Vandamme, Centre for the Study of Crises and International Conflicts, EFSAS Research Fellow & Research Fellow at Genesys Network, primarily focused her presentation on the role of the Pakistani military establishment in the modern trajectory of Afghanistan. Following the partition of British India in 1947, Dr. Vandamme argued, the Pakistani military establishment has focused on ensuring strategic equality with India and preventing an encirclement along its eastern and western flanks. Historically, the military establishment has thus benefited from upholding threat perception as high threat perceptions validate and legitimize the existence and dictating role of the Pakistani army internally in Pakistan as well as externally. The reproduction of alleged national security threats herewith provides the military establishment with a power base.
Dr. Dorothée Vandamme, Centre for the Study of Crises and International Conflicts, EFSAS Research Fellow & Research Fellow at Genesys Network
In regard to the Pakistani Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI), described by Dr. Vandamme as having an almost ‘mythical’ reputation, she argued that the ISI has long adopted a strategy that has normalized political violence and affiliation with Islamist groups. The structural support for factions within the Mujahideen, the concerted support for the Taliban and groups such as the Haqqani Network are cases in point as the ISI continues with providing funds, recruits, training, organizational coordination, direct military support and a safe haven.
Despite close historical ties between the Taliban and the ISI, Dr. Vandamme argued, relations between both groups are not necessarily straight forward. The ISI’s influence over Taliban policy was described as fluid over time, especially as the Taliban has sought to establish strategic autonomy. The Taliban victory in Afghanistan may also create internal issues for Pakistan in the long run by compounding Pashtun irredentism and might also embolden Islamists in Pakistan. Moreover, a renewed civil war in Afghanistan, for example between the Taliban and organizations such as ISKP, could also have spill over effects for Pakistan.
Dr. Vandamme ended on the idea that the Taliban victory was a short-term success for Pakistan that may have negative long-term implications for the country. Amidst the weaknesses of the Pakistani civilian government, the support for Islamist groups and inherent anti-India attitudes were concluded to be the cornerstones of the strategic culture of the Pakistani military establishment.
Mr. Timothy Foxley – Political/Military Analyst, Former Senior Analyst for the British Ministry of Defense, the Swedish Ministry of Defense and SIPRI, and currently an EFSAS Research Fellow, began his speech by stating that the international community needs to be cautious of the present developments in Afghanistan.
Mr. Timothy Foxley – Political/Military Analyst, Former Senior Analyst for the British Ministry of Defense, the Swedish Ministry of Defense and SIPRI, and currently an EFSAS Research Fellow
Narrating the history of the conflict, he argued that not much has changed from 20 years ago. However, Mr. Foxley opined that the current Taliban government is a minority force that have a monopoly on violence and seem to enjoy very little popular support, especially given the fact that its recently formed cabinet does not represent the political and ethnic diversity within the country, this making the group not the ‘liberators’ as it likes to portray itself. Almost in an allegorical way, the ongoing fighting in the Panjshir Valley is as of now a rallying point for resistance, manifesting the mistakes of the Taliban which might be able to occupy it but will not be able to control it, with local groups using guerrilla tactics.
Mr. Foxley, further deliberated upon the fact that the Taliban is trying to juggle different interests – on one hand trying to keep people in the country, and on the other trying to make things look as much as business as usual. Yet, as he set forth, the Taliban needs to unlock international funds and humanitarian aid, alongside with delivering governance, protecting human rights, and working on counterterrorism.
On the lines of expectations, all of the above is highly unlikely to achieve. On the questions of how the Taliban will be able to respond to public protests and criticism, especially over time, Mr. Foxley said that the Taliban is likely to struggle with containing those opposition groups. While its victory may inspire other groups elsewhere, including in Jammu & Kashmir, the Middle East and Africa, the Taliban due to its very nationalist agenda confined to Afghanistan would initially not want to be seen as a safe haven for other terrorist groups. Although their links with Al-Qaeda might seem to prevail in certain cases, when it comes to the Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP), the Taliban has openly expressed animosity, given that ISKP, despite recent losses, still remains capable and would want to attack the Taliban in order to expose and exploit its weaknesses. Mr. Foxley concluded his speech by remarking that there is a high probability for several civil conflicts across the country, as well as a violent opposition on behalf of the ISKP or local warlords.
Dr. Weeda Mehran, Lecturer at the University of Exeter, specialising on warlordism, conflict and peacebuilding in Afghanistan, explained how the Taliban has been seen as a violent State actor that no longer enjoys the support of the Afghan community. Thus, if wanting to remain in power, The Taliban has to mediate between providing governance services and using violence to consolidate control, otherwise it will face uprisings.
Dr. Mehran illuminated how the narrative of tolerance that the Taliban attempts to provide is not reflected in practical behavior, and that this is particularly visible from its newly formed cabinet, which is extremely exclusive and thus devoid of any ethnic minorities or women. As a result, segregation is likely to become the norm and female rights to remain imperiled. In addition, while all the major services such as healthcare, education, economy and banking have completely collapsed, she argued that instead of investing in the well-educated skilled human capital of the Afghan society by further imposing restrictions, the Taliban has put its own ‘Mullahs’ in charge of these institutions, while they completely lack expertise or knowledge on these subjects and thereby are bound to endanger the socio-economic future of the country.
Dr. Weeda Mehran, Lecturer at the University of Exeter, specialising on warlordism, conflict and peacebuilding in Afghanistan
Dr. Merhan opined that ultimately what becomes visible is how the Taliban struggles with its own logic, thus becoming contradictory. For instance, the current government consists of black-listed individuals, hence putting the international community in a very difficult position in terms of recognizing a government with its officials listed on various terrorist sanction lists. If the Taliban would be interested in seeking legitimacy, then that is something it should have considered.
Moreover, she positively mentioned that owing to social media, the voices of resistance are difficult to be silenced by the Taliban, which is an occurrence it was not prepared for. Having said that, if control is consolidated more, Taliban might manage to contain people’s access to communication technologies. Dr. Merhan concluded her speech arguing that despite various window-dressing statements, Taliban’s promise for not turning Afghanistan into a safe haven for terrorists is far from the truth, given that many Al-Qaeda, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and Islamic State fighters find refuge on its territory. In addition to that, she reminded the panel not to disregard the fact that Haqqani Network members were also given important positions in the newly formed government.
Following the presentation, during the Q&A session, several different points of discussion were raised. When asked about the dire humanitarian situation and the conditions that should be placed on emergency aid, Ms. Nehan advocated for an engagement with the Taliban without an actual recognition of the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan.
Given the restrictive policies for NGO’s imposed by the Taliban, she stated that the provision of basic services that Afghan people have started to expect from the government should continue and be channeled through NGO’s. With regard to another question about the design of humanitarian aid programs, Ms. Nehan emphasized that the design should always be focused on social peace and aim to build cohesion on the political, social and community level which will respond to needs on the ground. Given the situation in Afghanistan, she called for an immediate intervention to stop the current fighting and called upon the international community to step in and for the Taliban to allow emergency support and an open communication lines to Panjshir.
It was further mentioned by Ms. Nehan that the presence of the ISI chief in Kabul was met with disaffirmation by the Afghan people. When asked about the way of engagement that should be pursued towards the Taliban, Ms. Nehan argued that a combination of engagement and confrontation might prove as the most effective approach. While there should be support for the resistant groups, the international community should pursue constructive, consistent and united engagement and clear communication with the Taliban.
Regarding the funding of the Taliban and the extent to which narcotics might prove as a possible source of funding for the Taliban, Dr. Mehran stated that international funding is required as source of income and that without international aid, there will be significant negative impacts for the general population. She argued that while the Taliban might turn to the illicit economy for funding, also a turn towards other regional actors like China, Pakistan, Russia or Iran would be possible.
Mr. Foxley stressed that the Taliban works under the assumption that the international community will continue the support for the Afghan healthcare sector and that otherwise, China or Pakistan might offer different contact points for funding.
A question about the possible interaction between the Taliban and China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was answered by Dr. Vandamme, who argued that China is merely waiting for Afghanistan to be stable so that possible deals like the BRI can be established. She highlighted that this might present a major funding opportunity for the Taliban and that China is not interested in the human rights situation in Afghanistan but waiting to exploit the potential of the country.
Another question was raised about whether the West should push back against the narrative established by Pakistan in the recent weeks that the Taliban government should be accepted. Dr. Vandamme stated that Pakistan has always pushed that narrative and not only recently. She said that the country has been waiting to be the negotiator and that the lack of long-term policies of the international community vis-á-vis Pakistan leads to a situation in which Pakistan as a nuclear State gains leverage. Remarks of Dr. Mehran have thereby highlighted the potential spill-over effects and the risks of encouragement for other terrorist actors in the region based on the narrative of Taliban’s tangible success.
The final question raised in the webinar concerned the role of India following the part played by Pakistan in the rise of Taliban in Afghanistan. Dr. Mehran argued that India remains cautious regarding any promises given by the Taliban and that military resistance could form up against the Taliban if other terrorist organizations gain strength in Afghanistan and would become a threat to India’s interests. This was underlined by Mr. Foxley who stated that India could play a crucial role in the anti-Taliban resistance and Dr. Vandamme who pointed out that India needs to be focused on gathering intelligence in order to protect its own strategic interests especially with regard to the terrorist threats looming.
