EDITORIAL: The three years, since the Afghan Taliban seized Kabul, have seen Afghanistan’s descent into deep political isolation, extreme economic hardship, and the erosion of human rights, particularly for women and minorities.

This has also been accompanied by the rise of dangerous terror elements that have jeopardised regional stability, while also posing a significant threat to wider global security through the potential export of extremist ideologies and transnational terrorist activities.

Much of this was highlighted in some detail by Pakistan’s special representative on Afghanistan, Ambassador Asif Durrani, during a recent talk in Islamabad, where he went to the extent of warning that all the ingredients that could trigger a potential global conflict are very much present in that country and could result in another 9/11-style attack originating from the war-torn nation.

Elaborating further on his warning, Ambassador Durrani pointed out that Afghanistan’s current state mirrors the conditions it faced pre-9/11. A combination of crippling poverty, unchecked activities of terror outfits and global neglect serves as a portent of the potential for history to repeat itself.

As the ambassador pointed out, with priorities of international players changing due to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, “Afghanistan has almost been forgotten”. Humanitarian assistance to the country has consistently fallen short of what is required as major donors, especially those that have had a role in bringing Afghanistan to its current plight, regularly failing in this regard.

This has resulted in around 85 percent of Afghans living on less than a dollar a day, according to UNDP figures, with women especially bearing the brunt of economic hardships, widespread food insecurity and limited access to basic services.

The real GDP has plummeted by 29 percent since 2020, while restrictions on women’s rights alone are estimated to have caused an economic loss of between $600 million and $1 billion.

Worryingly, this consistent deterioration could lead to an increasing number of Afghans heading towards Pakistan, which is already grappling with multiple economic and security challenges, potentially exacerbating the strain on our resources as well as our societal fabric, further complicating the internal problems we face.

While the Afghan Taliban have been credited with bringing some stability to the country after the chaotic governance of Western-backed regimes, the fact remains that a plethora of terrorist groups, including the TTP, IS-Khorasan, ETIM and Al Qaeda are thriving inside Afghan territory, threatening Pakistan, Iran, China and the Central Asian states.

To exacerbate matters, the Afghan Taliban have adopted a dual policy of going easy on terror outfits that are supportive of their rule, including the TTP, while acting against the likes of IS-K. These double standards have especially hurt Pakistan, with the TTP stepping up its operations inside our territory over the last three years.

Afghanistan poses a complex challenge indeed for the global community, and major international players appear to have underestimated the potential consequences of completely isolating the country.

While entirely valid concerns regarding terrorism emanating from Afghan soil and the state of human rights exist, entirely freezing out the Afghan rulers has not led to improvements on these fronts and some middle ground must be found soon to bring Afghanistan back from the precipice.

The Afghan Taliban must understand that international recognition will not come without significant changes, including easing restrictions on women’s rights and shedding the dual approach towards the terror outfits active on their soil.

At the same time, the international community must not forget that global neglect of the country after the fall of the Soviet Union had created fertile breeding ground for Al Qaeda and its ilk, which ultimately led to catastrophic events that reshaped global security dynamics. The world would do well to remember this history as well as the desperate plight of millions of Afghans.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024