The burden of power

With Major General Chris Donahue, the commanding general of the 82nd airborne division having boarded the C-17 aircraft, the two-decade-old American military mission in Afghanistan came to an end. The sight of the American planes flying out of Kabul, with the remainder of the service members aboard, was broadcast live around the world, generating millions of comments across the traditional and social media platforms.

The completion of the withdrawal of the US forces, in line with the schedule announced by US President Joe Biden on April 16 earlier this year, was followed by celebratory aerial firing by the victorious Taliban as their personnel took control of Kabul airport. The ignominious pullout by the world’s greatest military power led the Taliban spokesperson to tweet that Afghanistan was a free and sovereign country.

For a ragtag militia that was literally bombed out of power in 2001, faced political wilderness for a long time, and confronted the fiercest US-led Nato military onslaught, it is no less than a miracle to fight its way back into power.

However, the takeover of Afghanistan is but a part of more formidable challenges facing the Taliban. They may have shown resoluteness and singularity of purpose in holding their ground against the US and its allies over the last two decades; however, the burden of governing a war-wracked and deeply divisive country will surely test them in fundamental ways.

The most immediate challenge facing the Taliban leadership is to put in place an inclusive government, one whose composition reflects the political, ethnic, and linguistic realities of the country. Such a political arrangement, if it is consensually arrived at, will not only bring much-needed goodwill to the Taliban but also send a message of inclusivity, harmony, and peace to the Afghans.

Forming an inclusive government is the first major step. More important is the autonomy, power, and freedom given to this government to draw up a national agenda. Coalition governments are a tricky business even in the established democracies. How such a government consisting of old rivals and battlefield adversaries, fares will constitute a real challenge. It will also be crucial to see what conflict resolution arrangement is provided for in the system to iron out the differences that are sure to emerge.

Second, despite the Taliban’s assurances and general amnesty, a large number of Afghans, particularly those living in the urban areas, remain deeply worried about their future under the Islamic Emirate. This includes women, minorities, and ethnic communities.

The searing memories of the treatment the Taliban meted out to the people during their previous rule have not faded. It is this distrust of the new rulers that explains the chaos and mayhem witnessed at Kabul airport, as people scrambled to fly out of the country at any cost. The falling of a 15-year-old teen footballer to death from the wings of a flying aircraft represents the tragedy of today’s Afghanistan, as it faces an uncertain future.

Allied to the environment of fear and anxiety is the massive brain drain underway in the wake of the Taliban takeover. No country can function without its skilled human resource. Doctors, engineers, scientists, lawyers, civil servants, media persons, and teachers are the backbone of any society; their presence is vital to running a government and shaping the future of a country.

Hundreds of Afghan nationals got the opportunities to be educated at Western universities during the past two decades and acquired valuable experience of working in global settings. They are a great asset, and their professional expertise and skills are vital to the process of rebuilding the country.

It is, therefore, of utmost importance that the Taliban-led government takes conscious steps to build a relationship of trust with these Afghans by addressing their fears and apprehensions. No matter what ethnicity, race, and political background they may belong to, their inclusion into the mainstream will serve Afghanistan in good stead. It is indeed heartening that the Taliban have asked all the university teachers and staff to report back from August 31, a welcome gesture in its own right.

Yet another key challenge facing the new rulers is to make sure that Afghanistan does not suffer from a humanitarian crisis. There are worrisome reports of food and medical stocks dwindling and the long harsh winter stares in the face. The long queues of the people in front of banks present a painful sight. The UNHCR has warned of an impending humanitarian crisis if the global community does not act fast to help the Afghans.

It is in this context that Prime Minister Imran Khan has urged the world community to stay engaged with Afghanistan to avert a human tragedy. Pakistan is the first country to deliver medical supplies of the World Health Organization through a PIA cargo flight after the events of August 15. Islamabad has assured the world community to establish a humanitarian air bridge for the relief activities to take place.

The world needs to heed Pakistan’s advice of not leaving the Afghan people at this most critical juncture. Otherwise, the consequences of such negligence will be horrible. The world must act wisely considering the past mistakes of the 1990s when the collapse of the USSR led to the complete abandonment of Afghanistan.

Afghanistan needs the world so it can sustain itself economically. Foreign aid formed about 40 percent of its GDP during the Ghani administration. Following the Taliban’s takeover, the United States has suspended Afghanistan’s foreign reserves to the tune of over $9 billion.

What the world and the US must know is that this money belongs to the Afghan people without which they will literally face starvation and be deprived of essential services such as power, water, and fuel supplies, etc. They need empathetic treatment.

It is here that the Taliban are doubly obligated to work with the international community to find a diplomatic resolution to the conflict. Instead of imposing a regressive governing order, they must find ways to allay the apprehensions of the world. They should know that it will be well-nigh impossible for Afghanistan to survive without the support and assistance of the international community. Hence, the middle ground and moderate approach in the statecraft consistent with the globally cherished values offers the way forward.

Taliban leaders have said the right things so far and their initial actions have been conciliatory towards their opponents. However, what the world remains wary of is their abiding commitment to regressive ideology and stereotyped notions.

In order to govern effectively, and earn global legitimacy, they need to transition from a militia mindset into a reformative party whose broad outlook is pluralistic and informed by an understanding of the contemporary problems and the imperatives of running modern-day nation-states. This will require a paradigm shift in their ideological orientation without which such a transformation cannot take place.

Last but not least is the challenge of wrangling and competition from terror outfits such as ISIS-K. As the recent terrorist incidents, including the deadly attack on Kabul airport made it absolutely clear, Afghanistan under the Taliban will be a site of renewed terror activity.

This problem from ISIS-K-type organizations is two-fold. On the one hand, they will violently oppose the Taliban’s shift to normalcy, advertising the change in its policy as a sell-out of Jihad with a clear motive to attract new recruits to their more ‘puritanical’ cause. On the other hand, they will try to form alliances with other terrorist organizations such as the TTP and use ungoverned spaces as a launching pad for terrorism against the neighbouring countries to keep the region in perpetual turmoil and disrupt any bonhomie between the Taliban and the world from developing.

The Taliban face a mammoth test – one they have never faced before. The last time they ruled Afghanistan was two decades ago. New realities have cropped up since then. The world is anxiously watching them and has stakes in the direction they take.

Down the road, they will realise that power imposes a restraining burden, and demand sagacity and prudence more than anything else.

The writer, a Chevening scholar, studied International Journalism at the University of Sussex.

Email: amanatchpk@gmail.com

Twitter: @Amanat222