Afghanistan needs a national awakening

It has been almost three and a half years since the fall of the republic in Afghanistan. A lot has changed since then both in the country and in the global political landscape. What remains unchanged, though, is the plight of women and girls in Afghanistan. The doors of schools, colleges, universities and other educational institutions are permanently closed for them, as if they are being punished for some heinous crime. The same goes for places of work for women.

When questioned, Taliban officials argue that the development of relevant procedures, revised curricula and a framework for Afghan girls and women’s education is underway. These efforts are supposedly to align the education system with Islamic Sharia. It is a dilemma that the Taliban are arbitrarily recreating Islamic principles and redefining the foundations of Afghan values for which they have neither the political legitimacy nor the religious credibility. While on the face of it they might be justifying this based on their own narrow and ultraconservative interpretation of Islam, in reality it is aimed at serving their political interests.

Hundreds of thousands of Afghans have left the county for neighboring Pakistan, Iran and the countries of Central Asia. Thousands more have emigrated to the West, mainly the US, Canada and Western Europe, and the trend continues, albeit at a much slower pace. Leaving Afghanistan and settling abroad has been nothing less than an ordeal. Thousands of Afghans who worked alongside the US and other NATO countries during their operations in Afghanistan remain stranded in the country while their resettlement applications are processed. The Trump administration’s recent executive orders have come as a great shock for these Afghans, whose fate has now been put in limbo.

Ever since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, the de facto rulers have been striving hard to get international recognition. Yet, no government has formally recognized their regime, although they have been able to send their diplomatic missions to several countries, where they are being represented on a de facto basis.

It is also noteworthy that most of the Afghan embassies and diplomatic missions from the previous government have remained intact. It is a kind of diplomatic conundrum. Embassies in foreign countries are, in principle, not independent entities. They represent their respective governments overseas. With the collapse of the Afghan republic back in August 2021, one has to seek a good rationale for these diplomatic missions to keep operating. It is irresponsible for some of the Afghan ambassadors and other senior diplomats from the former government to formally engage in matters of politics and economics with others. It might potentially create liabilities with serious consequences for a future legitimate Afghan government.

The main concern is that these diplomats from the former government are not accountable to any authority. This situation can lead to potential unchecked corrupt practices by Afghan diplomatic missions abroad. The only justification for these foreign Afghan missions could be the continuation of consular services for Afghans and foreign citizens, as well as helping to facilitate humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan.

With the collapse of the Afghan government in 2021, the country’s aid-dependent economy suffered serious setbacks, as foreign aid dwindled from several billion dollars to just a few hundred million dollars channeled to the UN and some nongovernmental organizations. Most private businesses and enterprises have ceased to exist due to the uncertain political and economic circumstances.

Although measures by the interim Taliban administration have maintained the value of the Afghan currency and prices of commodities have remained in reasonable ranges, the overall economic outlook has been dismal, since the purchasing power of the majority of the population has significantly declined. A consistent lack of trust in the incumbent regime could derail the fragile so-called positive economic indicators at any time.

To make matters worse, Afghanistan is already experiencing the economic repercussions of the Trump administration’s decision to dismantle the US Agency for International Development and its global aid programs. The US government has been the primary donor to Afghan relief efforts since the government collapsed.

Internal divisions and a power struggle within the Taliban were noticeable from Day 1, as multiple groups tried to assert greater control over the government machinery. These differences are now increasingly evident, as rivalry intensifies between the Kandahar-based extremely radical group and the Kabul-based Taliban leaders who seem to be keen to open up and engage, including their more favorable views on women’s rights to education and work.

With the collapse of the Afghan government in 2021, the country’s aid-dependent economy suffered serious setbacks.

Dr. Ajmal Shams

The Taliban’s deputy foreign minister, Abbas Stanekzai, who was instrumental in negotiating the Doha peace agreement with the US, has been critical of the Taliban’s hard-line policies. There are reports that Stanekzai might have been forced to leave the country in view of a possible order of arrest by the Taliban’s radical supreme leader. There is a need for such voices to synergize and be leveraged for a positive change.

Afghanistan, once again, stands at a crossroads. Regional and global political dynamics could turn the country into a battleground, with ordinary Afghans the main victims. Also, the country could become a hotbed of global terrorism, threatening the region and beyond if things spiral out of control. It is the national duty of every Afghan, especially those with a sense of love and commitment to the country, to join forces and build a peaceful movement for change: a bottom-up, people-oriented change based on the use of soft power, dialogue and political discourse.

It is time the Afghans came forward to begin a national movement for change without foreign influence and coercion, although the positive role of the international community to facilitate and arbitrate should always be welcome.

• Dr. Ajmal Shams is Vice-President of the Afghanistan Social Democratic Party. He served as a Deputy Minister in the former Government of Afghanistan. X: @ajmshams