EDITORIAL: There can be no stronger argument in favour of restoring foreign aid to Afghanistan than the fact that 90 percent of its population would drop below the poverty line by next year without it. That is precisely why Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s call for devising a long-term roadmap for the country for political engagement, economic integration, and regional connectivity makes a lot of sense. Speaking at the second ministerial meeting of neighbouring countries of Afghanistan in Tehran the other day, the minister also reminded participants, which included his counterparts from Iran, China, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, that Afghanistan has been gripped by a severe drought for the past two years, and the impact of very high inflation, very low (if any) wages, and almost no money available to the government might well push the country over the edge very soon. It was encouraging to see the UN’s (United Nations’) flash appeal raise $1.2 billion in pledges, but as yet those pledges have not been converted into disbursements, and Afghanistan might not have the kind of time that the international community is taking to come to terms with the seriousness of its situation.
The fall of Kabul to the Taliban has no doubt been very traumatic for all Afghans. But the international community’s decision to withhold all aid and grants, on which a good 80 percent of the country’s budget depended till very recently, in order to get the Taliban to agree to some of their conditions is clearly hurting ordinary Afghans far more than the Taliban or their supporters. And though the country is too broken down for news from all parts to reach everybody in real time, there are already reports of people having to marry off, and in some instances just give away, their daughters for a little money. In light of such suffering, Washington must revise its decision to freeze all funds of the Afghan central bank in foreign accounts.
The West must realise that pushing the local government like this will also compromise its ability to militarily engage with militant outfits like the so-called Islamic State (IS) whose existence spells trouble for all countries around the world. It will also, of course, limit its ability to make sure that its soil is not used for any misadventure outside Afghanistan. So far Pakistan is taking the lead in delivering humanitarian and medical aid to its suffering neighbour, but there’s only so much we can do. There’s still no question of recognising the Taliban government till the international community does so first, but that does not change the fact that the Taliban are the new reality in the country and the region. And sooner or later regional countries would have to engage with them even if the rest of the world takes longer in deciding what to do.
All this makes Pakistan’s suggestion of the roadmap stand out as the most practical step forward under the circumstances. Surely, it would make a lot more sense to expect the Afghan government to live up to its promises once it has been given enough money to stand on its feet and put food in the mouths of its people. Then the Taliban would be that much more careful about doing anything that would compromise their financial lifeline. So far, though, both the international community and the Taliban government are being stubborn and refusing to move in the right direction. Countries that have the money to help it are refusing to do anything till there’s a truly diverse government in Kabul and women and minorities are given their rights. And the Taliban, on the other hand, have neither the will nor the capacity to make any advances in the present situation.
The key to ending this logjam is money. And the sooner enough of it can be routed to Kabul for the country to begin functioning properly again, the better for the chances of representative government, a military action to wipe out IS and Co, and the welfare of the people. The best way of doing that would be to pay heed to what FM Qureshi said in Tehran, and begin working on that roadmap.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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