INTRODUCTION
The incident of 9/11 forced America to infiltrate her army in Afghan land against the Taliban. The war lasted between the American-led NATO and the Taliban for twenty-one years. On August 15, the Taliban unexpectedly took control of the Afghan capital, shocking the whole world and much of Washington's national security. The emergence of the Taliban in Afghanistan creates many problems for South Asia in general and Pakistan in particular.
The Taliban's Afghanistan takeover has not benefited
Pakistan's neighbor entirely, despite the good ties between the two nations.
Pakistan is viewed as the Taliban's leading supporter internationally, and
Islamabad also sees the Taliban-led government favorably. Still, the
instability in Afghanistan continues to have a negative impact on Pakistan's
security. The nature of problems can be categorized into many sections. Taliban
creates problems in terms of socio-economic, health, and security issues. This
paper will assess all the issues and put forth recommendations at the end to
tackle them.
Description
It cannot be denied that the Pak-Afghanistan relationship has always seen many ups and downs from the very beginning of Pakistan's inception. Notably, the border issue creates a gap between the two Muslim states. Afghanistan is among the most powerful nations in Pakistan's foreign policy. Pakistan's relationship with Afghanistan is primarily motivated by geographical constraints, shared ideology, and mutual interest. Its importance for Pakistan is further enhanced by its placement along the main highways through central and south Asia.
Since gaining its independence, Pakistan has strived for amicable, cordial, and constructive ties with Afghanistan. However, their total growth was thwarted by Afghanistan's unwillingness to cooperate, which was motivated by internal and external vested interests, particularly after the end of the Cold War. Pakistan has to be ready for the changing ethnic and religious climate. There has never been much harmony in the relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Implications
Impacts and Implications on the Health Sector
According to health organizations, acute hunger has worsened since the Taliban retook control in Afghanistan, and many people no longer have access to clean drinking water, shelters, or medical treatment. As a result of the Taliban takeover and the suspension of Western help, healthcare facilities in Kabul and other regions of Afghanistan have closed, and the state as a whole is experiencing a humanitarian catastrophe.
The issue is reproduced throughout the nation since the Sehatmandi scheme can no longer obtain adequate monetary assistance owing to Afghanistan's new administration. Donors needed help supplying
support through the new administration in August 2021, when the Taliban gained
control of Kabul, and significant funding was withheld. There are currently
substantial obstacles to maintaining these essential healthcare services,
formerly supported by the World Bank, the European Commission, and USAID.
Due to such unforeseen
situations, many people migrate from Afghanistan to Pakistan for better health
facilities, which burden Pakistan in one way or another. According to UNHCR,
almost 1,282,901 registered Afghan refugees are living in Pakistan. It can be
termed a snowball effect that affects virtually all the nearby regions.
Security Issues
The Taliban-led rule in Afghanistan gives a tough time for Pakistan's security as it has been seen that many terrorist outfits are growing fast again. The unexpected rise in terrorist occurrences in Pakistan during the US-led NATO operation in Afghanistan caused Pakistan to suffer greatly. More than 80,000 lives were lost, and Pakistan sustained economic losses of more than $100 billion between 2001 and 2021. The primary reason for this was the transfer of terrorists from Afghanistan to Pakistan by Al Qaeda. After several military operations, Pakistan could reduce terrorism significantly, but all of that is now in jeopardy due to the presence of anti-Pakistan militants in Afghanistan.
Apart from
this, Pakistan's security is under extreme threat due to the border clashes
with the Taliban. As a result of the tragic events in Afghanistan, extremism
and terrorism have arisen in Pakistan. This occurrence severely challenges our
idea of a moderate and forward-thinking society. We view extremism and
terrorism as backward forces that undermine social development and destabilize
countries. As a result, we are determined to battle against these forces,
primarily for our benefit.
Pakistan needs to
tighten the migration rules to stop the flux of Afghan refugees. Many
terrorists also migrate for their mission. The two fallouts from Afghanistan
have seriously threatened Pakistan's stability: first, the Russian invasion,
which left behind a lethal concoction of militancy, weapon, and drug
pervasiveness, and 3.2 million Afghan refugees; and second, the unintended
consequences of the US meddling in 2001, which brought the war into Pakistan
and stoked the troops of militancy.
Impacts on economy
Taliban's takeover in Afghanistan brings numerous hurdles for Pakistan, including socio-politico and the economy. Random assaults on civilians, the emergence of violent extremism, and the rise in terrorist activity in Pakistan due to the unrest in Afghanistan have done significant economic harm to Pakistan and caused widespread misery amongst the general populace. Pakistan would be most negatively impacted socially and economically by a growing refugee problem.
The COVID-19 epidemic has already strained local governments' financial resources, so the expense of screening, lodging, and assisting Afghan asylum seekers might be substantial. The Pakistani government predicted that housing an additional 700,000 "externally displaced Afghans" would cost USD 2.2 billion over three years in July 2021, before the Taliban took control.
According to Pakistani political
figures, Islamabad is reluctant to recognize the Taliban administration and
favors a coordinated strategy with other regional nations, most likely China
and Russia. However, this would exacerbate Pakistan's already tense ties with
the West's allies, thereby jeopardizing the monetary assistance and credit
Pakistan has come to rely on primarily.
Socio-cultural Impacts
Taliban have been notorious for strange policies from the beginning of their evolution. For instance, they were involved in extremism, violation of human rights, and strict rules. In history, they were infamous for brutal principles. For example, Taliban militants murdered poets, musicians, and artists during that terrible time, destroyed artifacts, musical equipment, and audio cassettes, outlawed singing, set ablaze libraries, and let museums fall into ruin and be looted. Taliban brings a culture of extremism with us.
Many of the downtrodden young generations are affected by these outfits. They offer many packages and use the brainwashing technique. They teach particular kinds of emotional religious scripts to incite people, which work well. These activities in a society affect a large portion of the community. The Taliban, including abduction, kidnapping, and early marriages, committed violent crimes against women.
Several families resorted to moving the women to Iran or Pakistan to safeguard their daughters. Under the Taliban, Afghan women had almost no access to the labor market. Notwithstanding some of the present uncertainties surrounding music, the Taliban's prohibition on it implies a rejection of a component of local culture with a very long and rich history that has played a significant role in peoples' life rites. Afghans of many ethnic backgrounds maintained their unity mainly because of music.
Civic tradition
disappeared because the Taliban banned all forms of cultural expression. Much
cultural activity persisted in secrecy. Rural residents conducted illicit movie
showings and used the basement of their homes as performance spaces. Under the
Taliban administration, women experienced the harshest cultural persecution;
therefore, it is probably not unexpected that they have participated in
unofficial resistance activities. As women were not allowed to work, the men of
the household were the only source of income.
Additionally, women
were not allowed to leave the house without a man. Girls and young women who
pretended to be boys took over the earner job in households where the father
had been incarcerated. Other ladies secretly carried out the taboo racial
stereotypes.
Recommendations
The Taliban creates
problems for Pakistan, and civic life is also disturbed heavily. Different
suggestions can be cited to handle the issues arising from the Taliban. These
recommendations are as follows.
1. Zarb e Azab-like
operation can be operated again to scatter the outfits of Tehreek Taliban
Pakistan. Zarb e Azab was a successful operation launched by Pakistan in 2014
to curb the outfits and militants in different regions. The process benefited
Pakistan in many ways. As reported, Operation Zarb-e-Azb resulted in the deaths
of 5500 terrorists, and 144 cases were presented to 11 military courts.
Fifty-five of the lawsuits have been settled, while 87 remain open. Thirty-one
terrorists have been put to death.
2. A tolerant and
democratic society is the solution. Democracy is only made feasible by man's
ability for justice, but it is vitally required due to man's propensity for
injustice. However, it is essential to define terrorism that may be accepted
internationally to allow the United Nations to devise a successful plan for
this aim. Also, distinguish between genuine freedom and self-determination
struggles and terrorism, as the former may foster the latter and pose a threat
to "peaceful coexistence" if they are suppressed.
3. Peace in Afghanistan
is essential for peace in Pakistan. The unrest in Afghanistan directly impacts
Pakistan. Nevertheless, as long as US troops are stationed there, Afghanistan
will never be at peace. The US's involvement in Afghanistan gives terrorist
groups a compelling "cause" to continue to exist. Pakistan will
benefit much from a peaceful Afghanistan. Monetarily, it can gain from
Afghanistan's rebuilding.
4. Religious scholars can play a significant role in handling this grave issue. Most of these outfits are the direct result of misinterpretation of religion. Target table talks and round conferences can play a substantial role in achieving stability.
5. Media use is a
crucial component of shaping public opinion. The media may inform and engage
the public about the issues confronting the nation and the strategy employed to
address them. Sadly, our current media reporting prioritizes breaking any new
stories without considering their validity or potential effects on the broader
population.
Conclusion
The overall discussion can be summed up that the emergence of the Taliban in Afghanistan heavily affected its neighboring countries, including Pakistan, India, and Iran. Its implications are grave and need serious attention because it impacts any state's economy, political, social, cultural, and security. Taliban retook power on August 15, 2021, after the chaotic withdrawal of American-led NATO forces.
The withdrawal of America further exacerbated the problems of the
Afghan people. Even its impacts can be seen in the traditions and cultures of
ordinary people. The young generation is joining their paramilitary troops. As
discussed above, the Taliban uses brainwashing by imparting emotional religious
scripts. Finally, it can be added that the Taliban is a threat to neighboring
countries and the entire world.
