By Ananya Singh
Until the 1970’s, Afghanistan was a monarchy. Mohammed Zahir Shah was the last ruler and his reign ended in 1973. After this, the Soviet Union tried to establish its control. They maintained it until the late 1980’s. The Mujahideen fighters managed to eradicate the USSR rule. These people were Muslim fighters from all over the world who believed that the USSR had illegally occupied an Islamic State. These fighters had studied in the madrasas of refugee camps along the AfghanPakistan border. After overthrowing the Soviet Union, they started calling themselves the Taliban,
with Talib meaning student in the Pashto language. In 1996, they made the Islamic State of Afghanistan and implemented Sharia (Islamic Law).
Some of their beliefs are: Girls should not be educated, women should not hold jobs, men shouldn’t cut their beards, co-ed schools shouldn’t exist, and women shouldn’t be seen without a burqa and must be accompanied by at least one male relative whenever emerging from the house. Taliban have been declared a threat to world peace and the upholding of human rights by the UN.
The history of the Taliban and the US
After the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers in the US, the feud between the Taliban and US festered. President George W. Bush demanded that the Taliban hand over Osama Bin Laden, the person responsible for the attack, as well as all other Al Qaeda members. (Al Qaeda was the organisation that was responsible for the Twin Towers attack).
After the Taliban failed to comply, the US-led military coalition overthrew them in 2001 and went on to establish democracy in Afghanistan. For 20 years, the US kept its soldiers in Afghanistan to ensure that the peace was maintained. The infrastructure and rules of the country changed.
Elections took place for the first time in 2005. Women were given equal rights; girls were allowed to go to school, and the country was politically stable. The Taliban continued to host guerrilla wars against the Western-backed government and US-led forces. (a guerrilla war is when people make small attacks, cause some damage, and go back to their hiding place. This is usually done by a weaker party against a strong ruler / opposition).
In 2018, the Taliban and US started negotiation talks, resulting in a peace deal. The US would withdraw all the troops by February 2020 and, in exchange, their personnel would not be attacked. The Taliban also assured the Western countries that women would be given equal rights, like the ability to work and be educated, within the bounds of the Islam religion and that they would ensure that the minority groups also enjoy equal rights. The US started the withdrawal of its troops on the 1st of May, 2021. They expect to leave the country by 31st August.
When the withdrawal started, Afghanistan had an army, a democratically elected government, and political stability. However, earlier this month, the Taliban started to take over the control of cities. Sometimes, the people willingly welcomed them. At other times, they were forced. The government was helpless. On 15th August 2021, the Taliban acquired control over the capital, Kabul, and President Ashraf Ghani left Afghanistan with his family.
What does the US have to say about this?
After the capital was taken over by the Taliban, US President Joe Biden was criticized by the UK, who claimed that the withdrawal of troops was a mistake. The American president, Joe Biden, has maintained that the withdrawal of American troops was the right thing to do. According to him, the soldiers were not there to build a nation. The people of Afghanistan have the right and the responsibility to decide their future and how they wish their country to be run.
What is India’s stand on the issue?
India has been a friend of Afghanistan for many decades. The current Parliament Building and the Salma Dam of Afghanistan were built by India as a ‘gift’ to Afghanistan. Many other constructions are still under progress. The country has supported Afghanistan in the past and many Indian workers are present there even now. India also has significant financial investment in Afghanistan.
Out of the international meetings held between countries on how to manage the situation in Afghanistan, India was not invited to the meeting hosted by Russia. India is currently the President of the UN Security Council and in that capacity, it chaired the UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan. India was also invited to a meeting in Doha. This meeting was organised by the countries of the Middle East.
The Taliban have warned India that it should not play a military role in the country. This means that they do not want India to send soldiers to Afghanistan. India has a sizeable number of Afghan nationals already living as UN refugees and even now, people are asking to come to India.