Last week on Wednesday, the Afghan Taliban celebrated three years of their return to power by carrying out a military parade and brandishing its tanks and weapons. The celebrations are a mockery of the promises made in the Doha Accord. Three years on, Afghanistan continues to be a suffocating society for its women. Women have been barred from pursuing education beyond grade 6, working in the public domain save for the health sector and taking part in the political matters of the country.
Not only for its women, but the Taliban regime continues to be a nuisance for its Muslim neighbour, Pakistan, as well. Despite several International reports and a plethora of evidence from Pakistan, the Taliban government continues to adamantly deny the presence of terrorists on its soil. The Taliban’s obstinacy has resulted in the militancy rapidly metastasizing into an existential peril for Pakistan. Recently, on the eve of Pakistan’s Independence Day, the Pakistan Army Chief once again urged the Taliban government to join hands with Pakistan stating, “We desire to have very good relations with Afghanistan, and our message to them is not to prioritize the Fitna-Al-Khawarij (TTP) over their long-standing and benevolent brother Islamic country, and to join us in eliminating this Fitna, just as Pakistan has always stood by you.” However, to Pakistan’s dismay, neither the vociferous protests nor the soft pleas seem to have left any impact on the Taliban government since they continue to shamelessly harbour the terror elements aiming to sabotage the stability and peace in Pakistan.
According to the United Nations Development Program, approximately 85% of Afghans live on less than one dollar a day.
The leader of the Taliban government, Haibatullah Akhundzada, during a speech on Wednesday, said, “As long as we are alive, we will uphold and apply Allah’s (God’s) faith and Sharia upon ourselves and others”. His words fly in the face of Islamic teachings which regard every human blood as sacred and strictly forbids not only the killing of innocents but also becoming accomplices in killing. However, the so-called Shariah-compliant regime of the Afghan Taliban is constantly abetting the Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan and its estimated 6000-6500 fighters in carrying out attacks against the security forces and innocent civilians in Pakistan.
The Afghan Taliban must understand that reciprocating assistance to the elements which aided them against NATO forces at the expense of its desired legitimacy, the welfare of its people and peace in its neighbour will only leave them on the losing side in the long run. According to the United Nations Development Program, approximately 85% of Afghans live on less than one dollar a day. Prioritizing cooperation with the regional countries, particularly Pakistan, over its ideological alliances will unlock trade opportunities hence, pulling the local Afghans out of the dearth of money and leading to sustainable economic growth.
For the world community, Afghanistan poses a significant security threat not only to Pakistan but also to other countries as The East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), Al-Qaeda and Islamic State Khorasan province (IS-K) are also using Afghanistan as their sanctuary. Therefore, the world community needs to take coordinated action against Kabul and coax it into reigning in TTP, IS-K and other militant groups, applying a multi-pronged strategy including diplomatic, economic and if necessary punitive measures.
The writer is a freelance columnist.