Afghanistan’s future

Hunger, the starvation of children, disease and other humanitarian crises could bring more death for Afghans in the coming winter than all the bullets and pellets fired during the 20-year war the country has just emerged from. The Washington-based International Crisis Group has said that it is essential that donor nations offer more than humanitarian aid and engage with the Afghan government in some way to offer the country meaningful economic benefit. In exchange, the US has said it had already given Afghanistan $474 million in humanitarian aid and is not willing to go beyond assistance of this kind until the Taliban agree to set up an inclusive government, respect the right of education for girls, and ensure an end to human rights violations in the country. Afghans’ dollar assets are tied up with the US and that country would therefore need to play a leading role in releasing them and offering them back to the government in Afghanistan or whatever setup exists in that country in order to prevent devastation on a massive scale.

The ICG has suggested that funding for doctors, schools, the rebuilding of infrastructure and other such measures be put in place as the first step towards ensuring less suffering for Afghan people. It is to be seen how the US will react, though the country has made it clear that despite the fact that it plays a primary role in Afghanistan's condition given its hasty pullout in an unstable situation, it is not willing to engage with the Afghan Taliban. Iran, Pakistan, China, Russia, India and five Central Asian states have also met over the issue and called for more help for the Afghan people. It is important to remember that the people of Afghanistan are not responsible for their plight. Many fear the Taliban and wish only to lead a peaceful, normal life. It is up to the donor countries and the UN to make this possible as far as is feasible. The UN has made appeals for more help for Afghanistan, but has noted that US diplomats are not willing to follow the same line of action and are holding back measures that could lead in this direction.

This creates an extremely dangerous situation for the people of Afghanistan as they enter the long and bitter winter. We already have deaths due to a lack of food and medicines in Afghanistan. If the world stands back and watches Afghans die due to a lack of donor help, then it is as responsible as are the Taliban for human rights violations and the failure to care about a people who have been crippled as a result of a war that they did not create and by a government that they did not elect in a fair and free manner.