By and by the world is coming forth about the looming, or better say, the ongoing humanitarian crisis of Afghanistan, which, since the collapse of the Ashraf Ghani government and the takeover of Kabul by the Taliban, has become a no-go area for the world. Only Pakistan and Qatar resumed flights to Kabul recently, and of them, the Pakistan International Airlines later suspended the flight operations in protest against the mistreatment of its officials at the hands of some Taliban militants. Despite the high-handedness of the Taliban, the Pakistani government has been at the forefront pleading the case of Afghanistan aid to the world since the Taliban takeover, saying that Afghanistan should not be abandoned and peace must return to Kabul. Aiding Afghanistan, or ordinary Afghans after bypassing the Taliban-led Afghanistan government, was discussed at the recently concluded meeting of the G20 – a forum of the countries with the highest GDPs – where head of government after head of government spoke about resuming aid to the war-torn country. The European Union pledged $1.15 billion, while China and the US have promised $1.5 billion each. They have pledged aid but without any concrete timeframe. Afghanistan is in dire need of aid. Recently, the UNHCR published a report that more than 20 million Afghans, that make up half of the population of Afghanistan, lack access to lifesaving humanitarian aid, and sought immediate funds to fill the gaps. Sadly, so far the world has responded to the UN appeal with a lackluster response as only 35 per cent of the funds have been made to the UN account. The other day, Pakistan, Russia and China met in Moscow and talked about the urgent aid deliveries to Kabul.
The Afghanistan aid issue is becoming grimmer because of the lack of legitimacy of the Taliban government as not a single country has so far recognized the incumbent Afghan government, which has isolated the militia while the aid flow has dried up. It is time the Taliban made a few steps to gain legitimacy and diplomatic recognition from the world. They should allow women to work and girls to go to schools. Moreover, they should meet the pledge they have made to the world about an inclusive government. Without these basic measures, the recognition of the Taliban government is a long way off. The world, however, should not make Taliban’s conduct a big excuse to put Afghan children at the risk of starvation and start trickling in aid to the country through international aid agencies.
