Nangarhar -

20 years after the first Taliban government, many things have changed, and they are no longer as they were in that era, which followed the civil wars between jihadist parties after the fall of the communist government in 1992 AD headed by Dr. Najibullah loyal to the Soviet Union at the time;

Many people in the first floor of the Taliban government were far from cities and civilian life.

No one even knew about the mobile phone, the computer, the World Wide Web and other new technologies, and they were not connected with the local and global media and social media.

One of them was traveling from a remote village in one of the districts, for example, in the eastern region of Afghanistan, to arrive after a long distance to the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, to call one of his relatives outside the country by wireline, and pay a high value for that call.

The Director of the Teacher Training House in Konar Province presents a board of appreciation to one of the employees (Al-Jazeera)

lack of education

People were not fond of obtaining higher education, and university education and obtaining a bachelor’s degree were the highest education, while studying a master’s and doctorate was a dream that could only be achieved by those outside the country, or who belonged to a large family of leaders and wealthy people.

houses or graves

As for women and girls, they had “houses or graves,” as the Pashtun proverb, and their presence in universities was not worth anything, but in the primary stages there are a good number of them, but under the first Taliban government, girls were prevented from studying at the secondary and university levels, waiting for that A plan and a law shall be drawn up for their education;

But unfortunately, in 6 years of their government, they were not able to develop a plan and a law for girls' education, or they did not want to, as university professor Aisha Ihsan told Al Jazeera Net.

Women are far from jobs and politics

Thus, women were far from government jobs except for doctors who were working in government hospitals or with some international institutions or teachers in primary schools for girls. As for other government departments, they were devoid of women’s presence, so that women were not able to roam outside the house without the presence of a mahram Or wearing the Afghan veil called "the burqa." As for the presence of Afghan women in the political arena, it was a far cry.

change social life

In light of the recent developments that occurred at the Afghan University during the 20 years after the first Taliban government and so far, many things have changed;

Because this period was more open to the outside world, and more knowledgeable about globalization, which made the world a small village, easily reached by hands.

Activist Maryam - and she was responsible for the women's section in a social organization in eastern Afghanistan - told Al Jazeera Net that "many things have changed, even the national customs and traditions that we adhered to before this; The governorate to study at the university, live in the dormitories for girls, and travel for the same purpose to other governorates and even outside the country.

And Maryam added, "She also worked alongside men in government departments, until they became ministers, deputy governors, and presidents, and participated in political life. Dozens of them ran in parliamentary elections and provincial council elections, and were elected to seats specific to women, and some of them became members of the Senate. And other developments that Afghan women had not imagined before in areas far from the capital and large cities.

Afghan women in 20 years

According to the numbers published by the Afghan Statistics and Information Administration (NSIA) in the year 2021 AD, as published on its Facebook page, the percentage of women working in government departments was 24%, of whom 63 women hold a doctorate, and 1,321 women hold a master’s degree. Female doctors working in governmental and non-governmental hospitals, numbering 12,35, according to the administration's page itself.

According to the report of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) published on 17 February last year, on the same office’s website;

The attendance rate of girls in schools reaches 40%, the number of female teachers reaches 70,000, the education rate among women reaches 39%, 27 seats are allocated for women in Parliament, and the percentage of women working in government departments reaches 25%.

As for women working in trade, their number reached 54,000, while the number of women in the Afghan army was more than 2,000, according to a BBC report, and their presence in the police was up to 4,000, according to a website report. Iran International (old.iranintl), citing statements by then-Interior Minister Masoud Indarbi.

All this indicates the development of the situation of Afghan women in the past two decades, and that she was present in all the places attended by men, as she was present in the circles that manage politics, economics, peace and war.

The Director of the Teacher Training Center in Konar, Fadela Marwat, chaired the meeting of the male employees (Al-Jazeera)

The new generation in the face of the Taliban

After the Taliban movement began taking control of the various districts in Afghanistan, the eastern region and the two districts of Ghaziabad and Nair of Kunar province fell last July;

They were to be welcomed by the people of that region to rule, being of Pashtun nationalism;

However, thousands of residents of the area were displaced to the center of the province, and to areas that were outside the control of the Taliban.

After the movement took control of the Afghan capital, Kabul, the displaced returned to their villages, but they did not welcome the new Taliban government from the heart.

Because - especially the youth and the generation of them in their twenties - they were not ready to accept this phenomenon and it did not satisfy them, and most of them became jobless and unemployed.

About these unwelcome developments by young people, Hawwa (pseudonym) - who is responsible for one of the girls' education centers in Konar province - says, "In my opinion, the Taliban were not ready to run the country, yet they put the reins of all departments in their hands, and this idea Incorrect, because we see that the people are facing poverty and starvation and are suffering from mental illnesses, so a comprehensive government is required.”

Hawwa added to Al Jazeera Net, "There is a positive aspect, which is that the new government can take advantage of the existing departments and systems, but on condition that they deal with them according to the requirements of the times, and that they do not employ unqualified people in the departments, that they begin with public services, and that they authorize the opening of the doors of schools and universities for girls."

Female elements in the army and police participate in the International Women's Day ceremony in Konar Governorate (Al-Jazeera)

University student Kulthum says, "The government announced by the Taliban is not a government in the true sense, and it has shortcomings and negative aspects that do not satisfy the Afghan people. We hope that the movement will be honest in its claims to establish a comprehensive Islamic government that fights poverty, ignorance and war, and employs qualified people in the administrations."

Sana (a pseudonym) - a student at a non-governmental university - says, "Yes, there is a positive side, which is security, but there is no psychological security. We are not confident about our future under the Taliban government, and we do not believe that they are qualified to run the country, and they cannot organize themselves, they are not trained in social behaviors, and they do what it is not advisable to do.”

The statements of the men are not different from the opinions of the women about the Taliban movement and the way they rule. As for the young ones, they rarely adapt to the current situation, and many of them are not satisfied with the situation, and are looking for a way out for themselves.

Young Javed Asim - a graduate of the Faculty of Economics and works in a government department in Konar province - says, "I cannot continue to work with these people, because they cannot manage and they do not have a clear vision about government and administration."

"I was optimistic at first when the Taliban took control of Afghanistan and overthrew the government of Ashraf Ghani, but over time I felt that the Taliban cannot manage the country the way they are, and they have to change the approach to managing the country and the participation of others in running the wheel," says one of the professors in Konar province, Mr. Noor Halim. government, and to be at the same distance from everyone.”

University professor Muhammad Mamond says, "The Taliban want to displace others by checking between one name and another, and they ask people at checkpoints about their religious sect, and they consider everyone who is not on the Hanafi sect their enemy, and this approach increases their enemies, so they must learn from their past mistakes, and open up Everyone should participate in running the country.”

 What did the foreign minister of the Afghan government say?

As for the statements of members of the Taliban movement and officials of the Islamic Emirate, they reassure the people of the improvement of the situation, and they promise that the former employees will continue their work with the payment of their salaries, as stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Afghan Interim Government Amir Khan Muttaki in a dialogue session to discuss the situation in Afghanistan at the Center for Conflict Studies and Humanitarian Action during his recent visit to the country Diameter.

Amir Khan says, "500,000 of those who were working in the previous government work with us in the government, and we started paying their salaries, and we did not remove them from their jobs, and we benefit from their capabilities without discrimination." Also, the movements of Afghan Interim Government officials at various levels outside and inside Afghanistan Effective diplomacy bodes well.

In any case, the Taliban movement is facing the new generation of the Afghan people, a generation that is completely different from the generation of the nineties of the last century, and it is running Afghanistan, which is completely different from Afghanistan at that era, so it must deal with everyone according to the requirements of the times, and benefit from the experiences of others. And to participate with them in managing the country and improving the lives of the people.