ISLAMABAD, SEPT 3 /DNA/ – The war torn Afghanistan needs attention of the global community to play their role to avert humanitarian crises, and help people stabilize, recure livelihood and food and come out of extreme poverty, said the experts from diverse backgrounds while speaking at the webinar ‘Humanitarian Situation in Afghanistan Post US Evacuation’ organized by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI).   

The humanitarian institutions are warning against influx of the would-be Afghan refugees if their needs are not met within the country and circumstances force them to flee. Ms Tammi Sharpe, Deputy Representative UNHCR Pakistan, highlighted that currently, there are 1.4 million Afghans refugees in Pakistan and the number goes up to 3 million if we include unregistered refugees. Pakistan has been very generous in accepting the Afghan refugees. She said the situation related to displacement of the population continues to change and UNHCR is closely observing it to take right measures. It depends on how Taliban will act; will they be able to maintain peace and ensure protection of human rights of common people? She said that UNHCR is concerned about human right violations and thus, we need to see what is actually happening in the country in the post US withdrawal scenario.  

Senior Journalist and analyst Mr Zahid Hussain was of the view that people are focusing on what the Taliban will do, but we need to focus on Afghanistan in the context of alarming poverty and displacement of people. He said that the western countries should open their borders for these refugees. He emphasized that financial aid to Afghanistan must be continued as the people of Afghanistan will suffer otherwise.  Almost 70% of the population of the country is living below the poverty line and about 90% people live under 2 dollars per day. Therefore, if the international community pushes further without addressing the real issue, the situation will get worse and eventually will lead to another war.  

Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri, Executive Director, SDPI, earlier stressed that instead of seeing the situation through the lens of just emotions, we need to analyse ground realities as well to understand the real picture of Afghanistan today. “No study has been even done on the situation of COVID-19 in Afghanistan and the situation of food security is also does not seem to be under any focused discussion,” he said adding that all these questions are critical to ascertain what has to be done to help people of Afghanistan.  

The Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Ms Andleeb Abbas, was of the view that peaceful takeover by Taliban by averting civil war has been a positive thing in Afghanistan. However, since the international community is still at the back foot, the economic situation may get worse and that must be avoided. She said that Pakistan has extended all assistance to aid providing authorities because the fate of both countries is tied together. This can be an opportunity to rebuild Afghanistan if international community does not shy away from its responsibilities.   

Senior Analyst, Brig (r) Mahmood Shah, highlighted that Afghanistan is a multi-ethnic country, and all these ethnicities should be included in the government. Taliban have already shown willingness to respect human rights, particularly women rights, which provide much needed optimism about the future stability of the country. However, measures should be taken to stop brain drain from Afghanistan.  

KABUL, SEPT 3 -Taliban co-founder Mullah Baradar will lead a new Afghan government that could be announced soon, sources in the group said on Friday, as it battled rebel fighters while striving to ward off economic collapse.

Baradar, who heads the Taliban’s political office, will be joined by Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, the son of late Taliban founder Mullah Omar, and Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, in senior positions in the government, three sources said.

“All the top leaders have arrived in Kabul, where preparations are in final stages to announce the new government,” one Taliban official told Reuters, on condition of anonymity.

The Taliban, which seized Kabul on Aug. 15 after sweeping across most of the country, have faced resistance in the Panjshir Valley, north of the capital, with reports of heavy fighting and casualties.

Several thousand fighters of regional militias and remnants of the government’s armed forces have massed in the rugged valley under the leadership of Ahmad Massoud, the son of former Mujahideen commander Ahmad Shah Massoud.

Efforts to negotiate a settlement appear to have broken down, with each side blaming the other for the failure.

HUMANITARIAN CATASTROPHE

The government’s legitimacy in the eyes of international donors and investors will be crucial for an economy grappling with drought and the ravages of a conflict that killed an estimated 240,000 Afghans.

Humanitarian groups have warned of impending catastrophe and the economy, reliant for years on many millions of dollars of foreign aid, is close to collapse.

Many Afghans were struggling to feed their families amid severe drought well before the Taliban took power and millions may now face starvation, aid agencies say.

“Since August 15, we have seen the crisis accelerate and magnify, with the imminent economic collapse that is coming this country’s way,” Mary-Ellen McGroarty, the director of the World Food Programme in Afghanistan, told Reuters from Kabul.

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has no plans to release billions in Afghan gold, investments and foreign currency reserves parked in the United States that it froze after the Taliban’s takeover.

In a positive development, a senior executive of Western Union Co said the firm was resuming money-transfer services to Afghanistan in line with a U.S. push to keep up humanitarian work.

RECOGNITION

The Taliban enforced a radical form of sharia, when it ruled from 1996 to 2001.

But this time around, the movement has tried to present a more moderate face to the world, promising to protect human rights and refrain from reprisals against old enemies.

The United States, the European Union and others have cast doubt on such assurances, saying formal recognition of the new government, and the resultant flow of economic aid, was contingent on action.

The Taliban have promised safe passage out of the country for any foreigners or Afghans left behind by the huge airlift that ended when U.S. troops withdrew ahead of an Aug 31 deadline. But, with Kabul airport still closed, many were seeking to flee over land.

Thousands of Afghans, some without documents, others with pending U.S. visa applications or whose families have mixed immigration status, also wait in “transit hubs” in third countries.

ISLAMABAD, SEPT 3 /DNA/ -In the wake of complete US withdrawal, brain drain from Afghanistan is posing a serious threat to a return to normalcy as skilled and educated people, facing an uncertain future, are leaving their country in desperation. This warrants some immediate action by the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to ensure predictability in governance so that the prevailing chaos engulfing the lives of millions of common Afghans can come to an end.
This sentiment resonated at a roundtable titled ‘Afghanistan: Post-US Withdrawal – Present and Future Challenges’ which was organized by Institute of Policy Studies, Islamabad (IPS).
The roundtable was attended by academics, intellectuals, journalists, students, members of Pak-Afghan Youth Forum (PAYF), and Afghan delegates comprising politicians, former Afghan government officials and journalists.
The Afghan delegates included Maulvi Ataa-ur-Rehman Saleem, deputy chairman of National Peace Council, Ahmadullah Alizai, former governor of Kabul, Husani Mubarak Azizi, minister of transport, and Jamaluddin Badr, former governor of Nuristan province.  
Khalid Rahman, IPS chairman, Ambassador (r) Syed Abrar Hussain, IPS vice chairman, Brigadier Said Nazir, strategic affairs expert, Juma Khan Sufi, author and Afghan affairs expert, Mahmood Jaan Babar, journalist, Dr Tughral Yamin, dean Center of International Peace and Stability, NUST, Dr Mohammad Iqbal Khalil, chairman Institute of Regional Studies, Peshawar, Dr Haroon Khatibi, director, Centre for Strategic and Regional Studies (CSRS), and Salman Javed, DG PAYF participated in the roundtable deliberations. 
The speakers were of the view that the Taliban are a reality and acceptance of this can help in chalking out a pragmatic future line of action guaranteeing prosperity of Afghanistan. To achieve this, all Afghan factions representing different political and ethnic shades need to sit together and engage with each other for the formation of an inclusive government.
It was also felt at the session that the vacuum of a government structure in the existing scenario has given birth to political instability and uncertainty, resulting in fears and apprehensions among Afghans who want peace and stability so that business activities can resume and skilled people can find job opportunities.
Stressing the need for looking at the current situation in Afghanistan through the prism of humanitarian crisis, the delegation urged Pakistan and other regional countries to come forward to help Afghans who are in dire need of food and economic assistance.
They also requested neighboring countries, especially Pakistan, to open their borders to accommodate stranded Afghan refugees in their hour of need.
Strong cultural, religious, ethnic, academic and historic ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan were also discussed at the roundtable. The discussants maintained that 90% of Afghan religious clerics received their education in Pakistani madrasas and many senior government officials completed their higher education during their stay in Pakistan as refugees.
The speakers lamented the prevailing uncertainty which is also taking its toll on Afghan students who are unsure about their academic future post US withdrawal. They urged academia in Pakistan to step up efforts to facilitate Afghan students access better education. This will also improve bilateral people-to-people contacts between both the nations.
Concluding the session, Khalid Rahman opined that the Taliban should be given some time to form a government and demonstrate their governance and normalize the situation in Afghanistan. 
He cautioned against enemies of both Afghanistan and Pakistan who continue portraying a sorry picture of the state of affairs in Afghanistan and sabotage Pak-Afghan bilateral relations for their vested interests by spreading hate and misinformation.