HYDERABAD:
The abrupt takeover of Kabul by the Taliban marks an end of the “forever war” of the US in Afghanistan. The war that was originally waged to uproot the deadly Al-Qaeda and to steer the country out of the vicious clutches of the Taliban’s rule back in 2001 has left the country in an unending state of chaos.
It is undoubtedly the interplay of power politics between the US and other major stakeholders that has paved the way towards instability and tumult in an already war-torn country. Despite the Peace Deal of February 2020, the US along with major regional actors failed to compel the Taliban to form an inclusive government. As a matter of fact, the continued onslaught across the country provided an upper hand to the group in dislodging the administration setup of major districts. However, the seizure of Kabul was indeed an inevitable show owing to several factors. Firstly, the abrupt withdrawal of the US troops from Afghanistan without any power-sharing deal provided an impetus to the Taliban to unleash havoc. Secondly, the inability of the Afghan security forces to resist the ascendancy of the Taliban further emboldened the morale of these warlords. Given the sudden fall of Kabul, the million-dollar question now is: what will be the future of the Afghan civilians who have long been subjected to unprecedented sufferings?
Civil liberties along with women rights will be greatly curtailed. Such a deleterious situation will plunge the country in an unmitigated and prolonged civil war. In a bid to avert a 2001-like situation, the international community needs to send a strong message. If the Afghan soil is used as a sanctuary to transnational terrorist outfits then there will be dire consequences. Therefore, the onus lies on the Taliban to share power in a democratic way. The only tenable solution for the Afghanistan imbroglio is Afghan-owned and Afghan-led.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 23rd, 2021.
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