Afghanistan under Taliban
Prof. Rahmat Karim Baig
The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan this year has astounded the West and the latter is in a state of dilemma as how to bring the new Afghan government back to their control.
There have been open and secret meetings between the US and the European Union as how to hoodwink the new leadership and lure them to accept a number of demands which that block wants to be introduced in Afghanistan.
The warlords have gone into their hideouts and secretly in contact with India to hatch plots against the new leadership as well to further destabilize that country. They are hardliners and need time to show their presence after establishing new ties with likeminded elements within and outside that country. This will be very bad for Kabul.
In a previous article, I had shown my concern and claimed that India has not left Afghanistan as reported by our press soon after US withdrawal but now it proves that India is not that much yokel to cut relations with the Taliban government, has shown her presence and have arranged 50 thousand tons of wheat to be supplied to Kabul via land route from Wagah border to Torkham. This is a gesture that India is doing her best to maintain friendly relations with Taliban.
A source told this scribe a few days back that in an interview with Dewa radio one of the top leaders of Taliban replied to a question that Pakistan had the right to finalize any agreement with any country and the same right is reserved by Kabul and further said that millions of Afghan refugees had sought asylum in Pakistan who are still there and Pakistan gave us back a new generation of educated class – doctors, engineers, educationists, Ulema etc – and that is a very great contribution from Pakistan as these trained people are now working to build a new Afghanistan but another neighbouring country sent us back the same type of refugees in the shape of drug addicts and criminals. That is a big difference and will be remembered in future.
The present top Afghan leadership will not forget the good role of Pakistan as long as they live but the next generation of which many have been trained in India will never favour or appreciate the services of Pakistan because of schooling in a rival country. The racial leaning will also have its impacts on future Pak Afghan relations that may not be transparent but opaque.
Taliban takeover of Afghanistan