The caretaker government's policy and its handling of the women's issue need to be reconsidered, as this has become an obstacle to the normalization of the international community's relations with Afghanistan and its integration into the international community (Al Jazeera)
After a twenty-year war between the Afghan Taliban movement and NATO forces led by the United States of America, and before the last US army units left Kabul airport, the Taliban movement took control of Afghan territory and crowned its victory by seizing the capital, Kabul, on August 15, 2021 AD.
About a month after taking control of the entire Afghan territory, the Taliban formed an administration that it called a caretaker government to manage the affairs of the country. Thus, a new phase in the movement’s journey began, as it transformed from an armed group resisting foreign occupation, to an administration that took over the reins of government and runs Afghanistan.
Dealing without official recognition
Two years and seven months into the life of the government of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, and despite the lack of official recognition of this government by any country in the world, the countries of the world’s dealings with it continue at various levels, and there are efforts being made by the United Nations to unify the international community’s position on Afghanistan. and coordinating international humanitarian aid to the Afghan people.
Perhaps the meeting, which will be held on February 18 and 19 in the Qatari capital, Doha, under the auspices of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, is a model and example of these efforts.
The image is not black or white
The situation in Afghanistan is not as bleak and black as portrayed by a large segment of the international media, especially the Western media, nor is it white and devoid of problems and challenges, as some imagine. Nearly two years and seven months have passed since the Taliban took over the reins of power in Afghanistan, there are important achievements and gains for the government. Led by the Taliban, there are also major problems and challenges facing the Taliban’s rule.
Achievements and gains
The most prominent achievements and gains of the Taliban government during the past two years and seven months can be summarized in the following lines:
Liberating Afghanistan from the American occupation and ridding it of the consequences of the foreign armed presence and its interference in the country’s affairs.
Stop the war and internal fighting between the Afghan parties.
Providing good security throughout the country after decades of chaos.
The presence of a central administration and government that controls the entire Afghan territory.
Formation of the army, police and security services.
Announcing a general amnesty for former regime officials by the caretaker government to prevent the continuation of the series of revenge and hatred.
The relative stability of trade movement and the availability of goods in the markets.
A tangible improvement in the value of the Afghan currency, and an increase in its price against the dollar and other foreign currencies.
Reducing administrative corruption in government agencies.
A tangible and significant reduction in drug cultivation, promotion and export.
Beginning work on extracting natural minerals and ammunition, including oil and natural gas.
Collecting taxes to support government revenues.
Relying the government budget on internal revenues and rationalizing government spending.
Implementing a number of infrastructure projects, such as building and repairing roads and exploiting water resources.
Ports and airports continue to operate and are open to transport traffic.
Having good relations with neighboring countries and the region and preventing the use of Afghan lands to harm the interests of other countries.
The continued work of international institutions in the health and relief sector.
An opportunity for stability and development
The sum of the aforementioned gains and achievements of the caretaker government, in addition to other matters, provides a great and historic opportunity for Afghanistan to gradually emerge from the accumulations of the past, full of wars, divisions, and conflicts that have exhausted the people and destroyed the nation, provided that the Taliban and other Afghan parties improve their behavior, by exploiting the available opportunities. Currently to agree on the national commonalities - which are fortunately many - to advance Afghanistan towards lasting peace and stability.
Afghanistan currently has a great opportunity to turn the page on the past with all its negatives and open a new door to overcome challenges and seek stability and development for a better tomorrow for the Afghan people, who have experienced the scourge of war and conflict for nearly five decades.
From resistance to the establishment of the state
The Taliban movement, by virtue of its position at the helm of power today, bears a greater responsibility towards the homeland and the citizen. There is a big difference between the Taliban movement being a fighting group in the past that resisted the occupation, and the fact that it holds the reins of government and is currently running the country. Each stage has its own nature and requirements. The fighting group has a specific goal and its activity is focused. And her struggle to fight to liberate the homeland.
As for the government, it runs the country and is responsible for the affairs of the entire state. Citizens expect from it good governance and the provision of decent living conditions. At the level of foreign relations, the international community expects it to be a responsible state that is consistent with the international system, fulfills its responsibilities, and adheres to international treaties and agreements as long as it does not violate national sovereignty. And independence.
It is self-evident at this stage that the Taliban movement - leadership and base - will find itself facing great responsibilities and challenges that require of it a great deal of awareness, cunning and firmness in dealing with the new reality and its outcomes.
The Deputy Prime Minister in the caretaker government, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, was referring to this fact when he said in his speech after the Taliban forces entered the city of Kabul: “From today the real test of the Taliban movement begins.”
There is no doubt that the advancement of Afghanistan and getting out of the accumulations of dispute and conflict in the past requires contribution, participation and cooperation from all components of the Afghan people, men and women, on the basis of the national commons that bring together the Afghan people with all their components, orientations and backgrounds.
The Taliban movement and its government must provide the conditions and capabilities to bring the Afghan people together on these commonalities, and the rest of the Afghan factions and figures must cooperate with the government to lead the country towards stability.
Phase priorities
Given the challenges facing Afghanistan, the priorities that should receive the attention of the government and other Afghan parties in the current situation can be identified in the following points:
Reconciliation and national understanding to build a modern state, eliminate the possibility of a new outbreak of war and conflict, and lead the country towards political stability. There is no doubt that political stability is the basis for building a strong state, the reconstruction of Afghanistan, and economic development. Development and progress in all areas of life cannot be achieved in isolation from permanent security and stability.
There is an important fact proven by the modern history of Afghanistan, which is that the control of a group or party over Afghanistan by force of arms does not necessarily mean eliminating the possibilities of war and the return of unrest.
A country like Afghanistan, which has been experiencing wars and unrest for forty-five years or more, needs years to reach true peace and stability, regain health, and eliminate the causes of internal wars and unrest. Sincere and comprehensive national reconciliation is the true guarantee of the country’s progress toward stability.
There is almost consensus among observers that the Afghan people expect Afghanistan's new leadership to realize the spirit of the times, understand Afghanistan's need for a modern state that enjoys the approval and support of the Afghan people at home, is accepted by the international community abroad, and can maintain the balance between preserving the religious and cultural values of the Afghan people. And patriotism, and commitment to the values of global coexistence with its complexities and circumstances.
Develop a constitution for the country that reflects the reality of Afghanistan and meets the aspirations of the people; Because the constitution constitutes the ideal framework for building the state and establishing a modern and permanent political system for the country that will lead Afghanistan towards a state of law and political stability, and close the door to chaos and instability in a country exhausted by civil wars and foreign invasion.
It goes without saying that stability, development and good governance cannot be achieved in the absence of constitutional authority and the rule of law.
Planning to improve the economic situation and seeking to attract international investment and aid; For reconstruction and meeting the basic needs of the country.
Developing Afghanistan's economy in the form of serious attention to infrastructure, providing job opportunities for young people, and providing basic services to citizens such as education, treatment, electricity, and transportation, and combating poverty, are among the biggest challenges to the existing government in Afghanistan.
There is no doubt that the government's weak performance or failure to reform the deteriorating economic situation will have disastrous repercussions on Afghanistan, and open the doors to deteriorating conditions at various levels of political, social, educational, security, and other levels of life.
Appropriate and cautious dealing with the new reality that has taken shape in Afghanistan over the past twenty-three years, where Afghan society today is different from what it was during the period of the first Taliban’s rule in the nineties of the last century.
Based on some statistics, young people constitute about sixty percent of Afghanistan’s total population of (35) million people - according to some estimates, and in the absence of accurate statistics - and this generation grew up in the era of the Internet, smart phones, computers, television, satellite channels, and social networking, and the development that occurred in Fields of education and higher education. The media in Afghanistan contributed to the emergence of a generation that does not accept what is imposed on it by force and violence.
Lifting the restrictions imposed on Afghan women in the fields of education and work. The doors of middle and high schools have been closed to girls, and Afghan women have been prohibited from going to universities since December 2022, in addition to preventing women from working in government institutions - with the exception of the education sectors. Primary school, health and security - which many observers consider an attempt by the caretaker government to gradually and systematically exclude Afghan women from social, economic, educational and political life, and to disrupt the energies of half of society.
The caretaker government's policy and its handling of the women's issue need to be reconsidered. Because the continued prevention of girls’ education after the primary stage and the prevention of women from working has actually turned into a dilemma at home, and has also become an obstacle to the normalization of the international community’s relations with Afghanistan and its integration into the international community.
Taking serious and practical steps and measures to restore the confidence of young people and national cadres in the future, and encourage them to stay in the homeland and not leave the country; Because the wave of migration of young people and specialized personnel from Afghanistan is still strong and worrying, and has serious negative repercussions on the future of Afghanistan.
Consider how to deal with the issue of foreign relations and deal constructively with countries and international organizations, so that this preserves Afghanistan’s interests, consolidates trust, builds bridges, and leaves no room for pushing Afghanistan into isolation and estrangement from the world.
Today, after two years and seven months, no country in the world has recognized the existing government in Afghanistan, and the problem of non-recognition still hinders Afghanistan’s return to the international community and taking its natural place in the United Nations and other international organizations and institutions.
There is no doubt that dealing with the issue of obtaining international recognition requires the Afghan authorities to deal positively with the demands of the international community that are consistent with the demands of the Afghan people and do not harm their interests.
Dialogue and cooperation on common issues
Preserving the gains and achievements and confronting the challenges facing Afghanistan - first and foremost restoring the confidence of the Afghan citizen in the future - requires a high degree of knowledge, experience, wisdom, expertise and sophistication, in addition to maintaining a balance between the requirements of internal reality and the international situation.
Getting the country out of the crisis requires intra-Afghan dialogue, cooperation and constructive participation from all parties, components of Afghan society, and academic, political and social elites. In order to reach a vision that would identify national priorities and overcome challenges, to ensure lasting stability and peace in Afghanistan, and to normalize its relations with the international community and integrate into it.
To reach this goal, there is a need for internal Afghan dialogue between various political and social trends and components of Afghan society without excluding one party or party.
The intra-Afghan dialogue should result in reaching a vision and common ground that is acceptable to all, encouraging all effective and influential Afghan parties to reach understanding and rapprochement, and then cooperate in order for the country to move safely to societal peace and stability, which is the basis for the development process, solving the country’s problems, and overcoming challenges.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Al Jazeera.