By Kaithabjeet Singh
Religious extremism, social inequality, climate change and political instability our one of the defining issues that plague the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
The most pertinent of these which have prevailed for almost half a century has been political turmoil as a result of several factors like foreign intervention, insurgency and terrorism to name a few. By delving into a brief history it would be easier to analyse the current scenario.
A Brief Political History
An extremely ultra-conservative nation, Afghanistan’s population had a strong faith in conventional traditions and rituals. If one analyses the demography, it was dominated by the Pashtun community of the Sunni sect which is known for its orthodoxy and deep-rooted connection to the cultural heritage. It was the year 1979 when the world was still struggling under the insecurity of the cold war. Expansion of communism induced by the USSR was seen as a major threat to the power and hegemony the USA had been trying to establish. Sharing a border with USSR, Afghanistan too fell a victim to the influence of communism and experience the Sour Revolution as the Soviet-backed People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan rose to power. The policies and Marxist ideology of this party did not go down well with the general public who were resisting the changes. It was unpopular among the rural societies and there was a reluctance to adapt as it seemed to destroy the existing hierarchy of power. The repressive response to opposition and protests was finally put to an end by a military coup and assassination of President Nur Muhammad Taraki under orders of second in command Hafizullah Amin. USSR responded by invading Afghanistan to re-establish the communist regime. Rebel groups were formed to fight the Soviets under the banner of Mujahideen and clarion call of “Jihad” aka religious war (as interpreted by many patriots). It was not a piece of cake to even challenge a superpower like USSR with highly destructive arms and ammunitions the deadly nuclear weapons. Yet, how did a poor weak underdeveloped nation with widespread disunity, even think of facing the Soviets in a futile war? The answer comes immediately if we study the basic cause behind every proxy conflict of the cold war, be it the Korean War or Vietnam War. It was the assistance and support that the USA rendered to the mujahideen in terms of weapons and finances and the formation of terror groups. The capitalist superpower was insecure about the spreading of communism, which was termed as ‘Domino Effect’ by the erstwhile US President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Earlier than this President Harry S Trueman devised the Truman Doctrine to contain the influence of socialism after the Iranian crisis of 1946. It took almost ten years to oust Russians from the nation due to relentless resistance by mujahideen and USSR’s weakening position in the international forum. This period was followed by extreme instability among the various groups in a scramble for power but the Taliban with its orthodox and aggressive propaganda won the support of the public and proved victors of this long conquest.
The Taliban regime proved to be a disastrous choice made by the Afghans as they established strict Sharia Law. Entertainment, music, dance and alcohol was banned. Men were required to grow long beards and women were supposed to be covered fully in a niqab and a burkha when outside the house. They were also banned from certain professions, moving alone on the streets and laughing or even talking loud on streets – increasing their dependence on relative men. Following the 9/11 attacks in 2001, President George W Bush raged a war on terror and Afghanistan was blamed for giving refuge to the al Qaeda and leader Osama Bin Laden. That is when US forces invaded Afghanistan to uproot terrorist organizations, and after years of atrocities, constitutional machinery and government was established. US-backed Afghan forces came in direct conflict with the Taliban and internal skirmishes with the non-state actor have to date not let the war-like situation end.
The Current Scenario
Peace talks with the Taliban had commenced in 2019 when Abdullah Abdullah, candidate with the second highest votes in the presidential election, was appointed for this position.
The US plans to withdraw troops in Afghanistan to enable peace process with the Taliban and establish security but it is important to note that US presence is a major factor containing the insurgency and rise of terrorism. It helps the Government focus on areas like economy and delivery of efficient administration apart from security and defense. US withdrawal is an opportunity for the non-state actors including the Taliban and al Qaeda and ISIS to achieve their ultimate objective. This would result in gross violation of human rights, extreme suppression of women, ethnic cleansing. Afghanistan would completely be consumed in flames of war. The very goal of the insurgents is to remove the return to power and degrade democracy. Thus, the USA cannot trust the Taliban with their promises, and peace talks without the presence of the Government would be the least transparent and just process.
Moreover, US withdrawal contradicts its major foreign policy of ‘War on Terror’ as instability caused due to it would provide safe havens to the major terrorist organizations. This is a danger for the neighbouring nations.
Impact on Social Justice
Accessibility of fair justice is a measure of security of constitutional rights granted to citizens.
The decision by the USA would be opposing universal access to justice and result in violence, sustainability is out of the question. Women’s rights cannot be bargained away to the ultraconservative Taliban. The concept of rule of law will be demolished and institutions of education and governance that contribute largely to the quality of development will be destroyed. Justice and enforcement of rights would have to bear a severe blow. This can be seen from the fact that post drawing up of a new constitution in 2004, the formation of judiciary and formulation of laws was a challenging task since many law books and libraries were burnt by the Taliban. Needless to say, that with the imposition of strict Sharia Law (based on Taliban ideology) minorities like Hazaras and other religions were persecuted, women lost all basic constitutional rights and capital punishment was severe like stone-pelting. It was nothing but a humanitarian crisis and this shall not be repeated.
SDG 16 has sought to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels. It is not possible for societies to naturally and organically form an inclusive society due to class, race, caste, gender, and many such distinctions and diversities, thus it is imperative for the state to enforce fundamental rights and make justice accessible and strengthen rule of law.
Under the Taliban, there was no rule of law or an independent judiciary. Ad hoc rudimentary judicial systems were established based on strict conservative Taliban interpretation of Sharia Law. Justice system was very decentralised with local commanders deciding legal and criminal matters based on their discretion in non-Taliban areas. It varied from place to place with a lack of regulatory authority.
After the removal of the Taliban regime, Afghanistan's judicial system was fragmented and fell victim to internal conflicts between core institutions as the Ministry of Justice, Supreme Court, and attorney general's office. After the enforcement of the new constitution in 2004, The Ministry of Justice was charged with compiling Afghan laws and assessing their compatibility with international standards.
Justice sector was largely dismantled during the war and now it is in best efforts to gain back public trust in the system as this is the founding step towards the arbitrary exercise of power by non-state actors violating the laws.
The National Unity Government under Presidentship of Ashraf Ghani considers it a major objective to combat the structural weaknesses, institutional corruption, and insufficient capacity. It also desires to shift the excessive focus on security and defence forces to other problems plaguing the nation and considers economic growth as a major driving force in a poor underdeveloped nation. Thus, it has also pioneered in formulating an anti-corruption policy in the Central Asian region.
A Diplomatic game played by Russia
The situation does not end with the decrease of NATO aid and military support but Afghanistan sees another major storm ahead.
The increasing Russian involvement in Afghan internal politics with the Taliban and its “peace-making efforts” seem to be inclined in favour of the Taliban. This role of Russia is indeed considered by the leverage in relations with the USA.
Taliban sources claim that communications with Moscow were established back in 2010. In 2017, President’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Zavier Kabulov said that the Taliban’s demand for withdrawal of foreign troops was justified and criticised the long-term presence of NATO. This is a sign of hostility towards the Afghan Government backed by the USA.
A conference was initially scheduled for September 4, 2018, but after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani personally spoke to Lavrov asking him to cancel it, it had to be postponed. That reportedly angered the Taliban who through unofficial channels made it clear to Moscow that if it does not coordinate such changes of the plan under pressure from Kabul, its representatives would not show up at the next conference. This time around, the Russian government decided to proceed even after Ghani's government refused to send an official delegation. Demonstrating growing engagement with the main military opposition player in Afghanistan was what it ultimately wanted to achieve.
After long years of having no substantial policy regarding Afghanistan, it can be understood that Moscow has finally decided to re-engage. The delegate supposes that its greater involvement in the Middle East has given it the confidence to reassert itself in other parts of its immediate "neighbourhood", including Afghanistan. This certainly can be a re-assertion strategy of the Russian Government in Afghanistan and the Taliban seems to be that bate of making the most politically with the situation. Such polarisation of the internal politics is bound to result in a civil war or maybe another cold war-like proxy conflict in Afghanistan.
Thus, I conclude that all socio-economic and environmental problems in Afghanistan are directly linked to the insurgency and war.
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