Afghan dilemma

The humanitarian crisis unfolding in Afghanistan after the departure of US forces has renewed concerns for the safety and well-being of millions of Afghans who are left at the mercy of a weak government led by the Afghan Taliban. The conditional support to Afghan citizens is making the situation from bad to worse. Amid this chaos, the OIC session has made a pledge of setting up a Humanitarian Trust Fund and Food Security Programme to deal with the Afghan crisis. The help extended to Afghanistan is still at very initial stages as the only strategy that has been discussed is to revive financial channel for Afghanistan.

It is actually not a matter of the Afghan Taliban but 38 million people of Afghanistan, who are facing hunger and famine and need medicines and food. Among them, the biggest challenge is survival in the wake of ongoing winter season. Perhaps one of the biggest human tragedies in the years since the start of the war has been the plight of the Afghan citizens, who have become a victim of conflict of Afghan Taliban with the US. Due to this constant warfare and resultant destruction, millions of Afghans have fled into Pakistan and Iran as war refugees. However, those living behind are living in utter distress. Now prompt action is needed. If Muslim states are not in a position to donate money generously, they can offer skill based programmes and job opportunities to engage Afghan citizens so that they could earn their living to keep their body and soul together. On its part, the government of Pakistan is doing a commendable job as it has not only pledged a donation of US $30 million, but is also offering education outreach programme to Afghan citizens. The US also needs to show some flexibility and play its role to ameliorate the suffering of Afghan citizens.