Believe it or not...this is what is happening in the "new Afghanistan"

Shah Do Shamshera, Kabul, Afghanistan (Shutterstock)

The new Afghanistan sends us an inspiring message of hope, supports the determination of those who resist and fight for freedom, and shows us how the path to change begins with expelling the occupation. It also provides us with a lesson in the danger of the stereotypes that are sold to us, to weaken our self-confidence, and to present a friend in the image of a friend. An enemy, and a good person with an evil face.

In my previous article, I referred to this first-of-its-kind trip that I was destined to make to Kabul at a time when the resistance in Gaza was escalating. Today, I tell more about what I saw in this country, which has just escaped a 45-year occupation by major powers.

Dealing with the problem of the drug industry and successfully drying up this sector quickly are also among the most prominent features of success in the new Taliban experience.

It would be strange to know that the two issues that are the top priorities of the current government (the Taliban government): They are: economic development, and providing an environment that encourages reducing immigration from the country. This seems surprising compared to the news that has been associated with the name Afghanistan over the past decades, when the dominant language in this country was the language of occupation, violence, war, and instability, and it was not possible for anyone to be preoccupied with such topics, but - believe it or not - this is what it has become. This was actually the case when the occupation ended two and a half years ago.

Those irregular migrants or refugees who move from one country to another - and we see many of them in Turkey - globally form a negative impression of their problematic country. The Taliban regime, which fought the American occupation for 20 years, considers its success in expelling that occupation a direct and clear victory for Islam, and therefore they consider - as I realized during the visit - that the great responsibility placed on their shoulders is to preserve the dignity of this jihad, its integrity and honor, and for their performance to be worthy of the banner that They raise it, and the biggest test they face in a situation like this is stopping the flow of people from Afghanistan to other countries.

This will only happen by dealing with the conditions that push people to migrate, as there are no job opportunities, no favorable living conditions, and there has been - for a long time - no political situation that inspires hope in the hearts of Afghan citizens.

There is no doubt that the problem of asylum and irregular migration from Afghanistan did not begin in the last two or three years, that is, during the Taliban era. On the contrary, it was the successive occupations of Russia and America, and the civil wars that lasted for 45 years that greatly hampered the formation of a stable and promising economy in the country, and made it a country producing refugees and immigrants. Today, under the second Taliban administration, for the first time in 45 years, the situation has reversed: a stable government has been established that covers the entire country and allows for the first time to think about the problem of economic development.

Dealing with the problem of the drug industry and successfully drying up this sector quickly are also among the most prominent features of success in the new Taliban experience. Over decades of instability, drugs were the largest input to the Afghan economy. A large number of citizens live on them, and the occupation does not seriously seek to To confront it, and it can even be said that it benefits from it, as part of the occupation’s financing depended on this industry, and it also benefited from the increasing rates of addiction to reduce resistance.

When the Taliban expelled the occupiers from the country, images of people clinging to the wheels and wings of American cargo planes produced complex impressions about citizens' desire to flee the country. The prevailing idea in the Western media was that the Taliban would make the country unlivable. Expectations have increased that the Taliban administration will seek revenge and overturn the records of the past, and this will accelerate the pace of migration from a country that was already producing migrants.

But what happened was different, as the Taliban administration announced a general amnesty immediately after taking power, saying that no one would be prosecuted for their ties to the old regime unless they had violated human rights. To this point, they remain committed to this promise. This contributed to stopping this acceleration in immigration rates.

Officials were not satisfied with this amnesty that extended to those inside the country. In recent months, the Taliban government has been considering the return of many Afghans - who previously immigrated to Pakistan - to their country. With this maturity, the Taliban faces one of the biggest challenges it faces in Afghanistan, working to create the conditions that protect its citizens inside the country, and to ensure peace and social tranquility to a large extent.

The next step is to develop the country into a better place to live, so that citizens do not need to migrate to other places, by achieving the conditions for economic development.

According to the ministers we spoke with, serious efforts are underway to achieve this goal. The 20-year administration of the United States of America did not make any investments in infrastructure, industrial facilities or in creating economic resources for the people. The new administration is working hard to make these investments, and is relying in particular on investment cooperation with Islamic countries.

Afghanistan offers very good opportunities for investors in the areas of energy, infrastructure construction, minerals, agriculture, and human capital. It already has a young population, industrious, skillful, quick to learn and does not shirk difficulties.

It also has large, high-quality lands suitable for agriculture. The country can be made a center of attraction for international investors in textile or labour-intensive industries, through a promotional campaign showcasing Afghanistan as a country of opportunities.

Soon, investors in these industries may come to Afghanistan, just as they will go to China, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and even Egypt. This would be a step for economic development and an effective way to prevent migration from the center of the country.