Int’l community needs to show ‘big heart’ for shoring up Afghans’ economy

PESHAWAR: Following completion of one-month of peaceful takeover of Taliban and subsequent new Government in Afghanistan, the international community including the United States of America needs to support the fragile economy to help rebuild the war-ravaged country.

After ceasing inflow of capital, foreign aid, investment and above all freezing of bank accounts, the Afghans economy is in tatters with its people eying up towards urgent assistance by the international community to avert the looming economic crisis.

“Afghanistan is on the historic crossroads today. It is up to the international community including the US and regional countries whether they see Afghanistan a progressing, stable and prosperous state with strong economy or they want it relapsed in a state of chaos, infighting and epicenter of terrorism, which can push all back to square one,” said Professor Dr Khurshid Ahmed, International Relations Department, University of Peshawar while talking to APP.

He said Afghans economy was heavily dependent on foreign aid and assistance from donor countries that had received severe jolts following the US chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. “Afghanistan economy is mostly fragile. Over 60 percent of the Afghans’ economy fed through foreign aid that was recently stopped and about USD 9.5 billion bank accounts of Afghanistan stand frozen adding to social economic woes of millions of poor Afghans,” said Dr Khurshid Ahmed.

“This huge amount was meant for Afghanistan and its people have the right on it,” he said, adding the Afghan Government was facing financial constraints to meet cash demands of the people due to freezing of its accounts.

He said if these accounts were not reopened immediately there was a possibility of a serious humanitarian crisis of starvation, hunger and malnutrition of children in Afghanistan and the whole responsibility would be on the international community.

Being a poor country suffering from war and instability for the last 40 years since the invasion of USSR in 1979, he said Afghanistan’s development was primarily dependent on international monetary institutions including IMF, World Bank, Asian Development Bank and International NGOs. He said closure of international NGOs had added difficulties for Afghans as the former had left all the development projects incomplete with dust everywhere. He said, “poverty leads to injustice, socioeconomic imbalances and aggressive behaviors and these social ills could be countered through massive development in Afghanistan.”

Dr Khurshid said peace and development in Afghanistan was in the best interest of the world including regional countries. “Leaving Afghanistan abandoned as was done in the past, would lead to economic disparity, poverty and would undermine peace efforts in the war torn country.” He said an inclusive Government in Afghanistan and ensuring that the country’s soil would not be used against any country were among the main points of Doha Peace Agreement and now the international community was expecting that the Taliban Government would honor its commitment in this regard.

He said, “The Taliban Government was welcomed by people of Afghanistan and it required time to work for promotion of human rights and women issues besides building of national institutions,” he said, adding Afghans had never accepted foreign occupation and controlling Afghanistan from outside was always counterproductive.

Brigadier (r) Mehmood Shah, senior defense analyst and former secretary Security Law and Order erstwhile Fata said that the occupation of Panjshir Valley by Taliban forces was being dubbed as the ‘last nail in India’s coffin in Afghanistan, as its huge investment in men and material to ‘destabilise’ Pakistan has finally washed away.

“India had deceived the international community and Afghans in the name of investment and development in Afghanistan,” he said adding India had used Afghan’s soil against Pakistan and the fall of the most strategic Panjshir valley was a great disappointment for BJP rulers and RAW.

After seeing crushing defeat of RAW in Afghanistan, he said India had started malicious propaganda against Pakistan and Afghan Taliban Government to divert domestic and international public opinion and hide its shameful acts of terrorism.

Brigadier (r) Mehmood said that infiltration of unwanted elements from across the western border had been contained after construction of a long fence, new forts and putting in place a comprehensive security mechanism equipped with drone technology, radars and night surveillance system on Pak-Afghan border.

He said no influx of refugees from Afghanistan to Pakistan had been reported after the fall of Kabul one month ago; adding Afghan refugees in substantial numbers were going back to their country which was a positive sign.

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