In 2021, the Taliban came into power and began ruling Afghanistan after the withdrawal of the US and NATO forces following two decades of war. Taliban do not face any serious opposition because no political force was strong enough to topple them. The economy of the state experienced a huge setback when the Taliban came into force. Now, Afghanistan has a struggling economy so the Taliban are trying to hold talks with other states as international funding has also ceased.
Furthermore, the Taliban have put several restrictions on girls and women, as they are not allowed to get an education, work, or visit parks or gyms. Hence, during the Taliban regime, women are deprived of their basic human rights. Thus, Afghanistan has been globally isolated but the Taliban are fully trying to get international recognition for this; they have to improve their performance in government.
The Economy of Afghanistan Under the Taliban Regime
The economy of Afghanistan experienced a huge economic shock after the Taliban came into power in the country. The GDP of the state shrank between 30 to 35% so the state experienced massive poverty and therefore, Afghanistan needed global financial assistance but it ceased. As a result, the middle class of the country was wiped off. On the other hand, the Taliban’s government somehow managed to collect some money despite the economic crisis prevailing in the region.
The reserves of the Afghan Central Bank were ceased by the United States of America when the Taliban took power in 2021 and the reserves were around $7 billion, which was a huge amount for the state that experienced economic downfall. In addition, sanctions were imposed on the country, which created hurdles for the state’s economic sector.
According to the reports of the ILO, the job market has also suffered a huge loss and the jobs have been reduced. Many people are jobless and for some, their incomes have been reduced. The women have suffered job losses because the Taliban have put great restrictions on them and now they are not allowed to work. The banking sector has also experienced a downfall due to various sanctions and a shortage of liquidity.
Hence, the Taliban wanted to improve the economic sector of their country because they wanted their economy to be stable. That is why, they held talks with several states such as China and Kazakhstan as they wanted to be removed and to set free billions of dollars in frozen funds. Thus, in this way, the suffering of the Afghan people can come to an end.
Political System & Security of Afghanistan
When the Taliban took over Afghanistan after the withdrawal of the USA, despite establishing an inclusive government, the power lay in the hands of the famous religious identities. The current government is a caretaker government but nothing has been decided yet when the permanent government will be established. Akhunzada and a few trusted government representatives asserted their power and established their dominance in the region while sidelining the other internal politicians.
The Taliban do not want to hold any kind of reconciliatory talks with the politicians of Afghanistan belonging to the previous regime. Although the Taliban announced an amnesty for all, still killings and torture of ex-military officials have been seen. Additionally, the independent media of Afghanistan has also been destroyed due to the aggressive behavior of the Taliban and they do not tolerate any kind of criticism from the public and often punish them. In the northern region of the state, the Taliban experienced armed resistance but they were able to repress them with the help of a vicious campaign.
The Legitimate System of Afghanistan
The legal system of Afghanistan has been changed since the Taliban came into power as the prosecution departments have been suspended by them. Moreover, they have removed the judiciary of the state and put an end to the independent bar association. Therefore, the legitimate system of the country has undergone drastic changes since the arrival of the Taliban.
In contemporary times, female judges have been removed and they can no longer hold trials because women are not allowed to do any kind of work. The Hanafi School of Islamic Law is used to solve court conflicts. Taliban have introduced ancient methods to punish people such as public hanging, flogging as well as shaming. However, administrative laws in the state were used to run the bureaucracy and keep the revenue collection going.
Healthcare System
The country’s healthcare system has collapsed as many women who have been working in hospitals are no longer allowed to work there. Therefore, the healthcare sector has been deprived of essential resources and it is primarily challenging in the rural areas because they do not have the necessary equipment. Furthermore, international aid has been frozen which funded the healthcare system so now hospitals have limited staff and resources. Thus, many people are now unable to have access to basic healthcare facilities.
Rights of Girls & Women
Taliban have suppressed the women and have deprived them of their basic human rights. When they established their authority, they ceased the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and restored it with the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice which was responsible for issuing restrictions on girl’s and women’s rights. Girls were not allowed to receive education.
In the beginning, they were banned from attending secondary education. Later on, they were not allowed to get tertiary education and were stopped from attending universities. Currently, girls are only allowed to get primary education till grade 5. Several restrictions were imposed on women as they had to follow a specific dress code that the Taliban had imposed. Moreover, they are not allowed to travel freely; therefore, they should have a chaperone (mehram) with them in public.
Women are also banned from going to parks. If the girls and women do not follow the restrictions and they violate them, then their male counterparts would be held responsible. As a result, the males in their families took serious actions and made sure that their girls and women followed the restrictions.
There was an increase in domestic violence and forced marriages because of the dissolution of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and the conversion of the judicial system to the religious-based Sharia system. There was no system to which the women could report domestic violence and those who reported such cases were punished by the Taliban. Women were also banned from working with NGOs. In short, they were not allowed to work outside their homes. Thus, this affected certain households that only had women as their breadwinners.
Situation of Refugees & Internally Displaced People
Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021, many people from Afghanistan fled to other states because they had a fear that the Taliban would oppress them, so they left their country. Most of the people fled to Iran and Pakistan as these are the neighboring states of Afghanistan. It has been recorded that around 78,000 Afghans have reported to Iran post-August 2021 and have approached the UNHRC.
Moreover, as of March 2024, Iran holds 761,000 registered Afghan refugees, whereas numerous Afghanis took refuge in Pakistan as well. However, in October 2023, Pakistan decided to send back the Afghan refugees to their home state and it has been noted that Pakistan had returned 577,700 Afghanis as of September 15, 2023. Hence, Afghan refugees are seeking refuge in other states as well, such as Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan.
As of December 31, 2023, the registered Afghan refugees in numerous states like Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan are around 5,464,680. At the beginning of 2022, it was recorded that 3.8 million people were displaced internally in the country living in miserable conditions and having limited access to their basic human needs.
Infrastructure Development Under the Taliban Regime
Taliban deeply invests in infrastructure development projects to boost the state’s economy. Abdul Latif Nazari who is the Taliban Deputy Minister of Economy has stated that around 3,575 development projects are going on in Afghanistan which cost $1.9 billion. These development projects have been launched in different sectors like infrastructure, health, energy, and transportation. The funding of these projects has increased in the year 2023 as compared to 2022.
One of the most significant projects is the Khaf-Herat Railway Project, which connects the states of Afghanistan and Iran. However, it was stated by the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum in March 2023 that the Taliban are interested in being part of the Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India Project known as the TAPI Project. This project will provide numerous employment opportunities for Afghan people and can also play a huge role in the energy sector of the state boosting energy production.
Back in February 2021, before the establishment of the Taliban in Afghanistan, another project termed as Trans-Afghanistan Railway Project was signed among three states –Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. The cost of the project was around $5 billion so now in contemporary times the Taliban are asking Qatar and the UAE for the funds so that they could continue this project.
On the other hand, apart from these international projects, one of the most significant domestic projects is the extensive Qosh Tapa Canal Project, which is 285 km long. The key goal of this project is to transform 550,000 hectares of desolate land into cultivated land. The second phase of this project was initiated last year in October by Abdul Ghani Baradar, who is the Taliban’s deputy prime minister of economic affairs.
Other than the big development projects, the Taliban were also investing in small projects, for instance, projects related to road construction and the construction of highways. Hence, projects related to producing electricity have also been completed under the Taliban regime, for example, the completion of the electricity line from Kajaki to Kandahar.
International Recognition & Opposition to Taliban
According to aid officials, the Taliban see recognition as an entitlement and it is something that they can not negotiate. The Taliban are working on building their bilateral relationships with other states, such as China and Russia. Additionally, the prime minister of Qatar also met Akhunzada in June 2022. On the international stage, the Taliban have been isolated but they are working on building their image by developing relations with other states. Western countries wanted to cooperate with the Taliban on narcotics, refugees, and counter-terrorism efforts. Furthermore, in Afghanistan, there is no political opposition, that has domestic or international support against the Taliban, and public protests are, hence, not very common.
Conclusion
War came to an end in 2021 in Afghanistan and the Taliban took control of the state but it didn’t change the lives of the people as they went through a serious humanitarian as well as human rights crisis. The economy of Afghanistan collapsed, which was troublesome for the people. In addition, the Taliban erased women from every single sector, which ultimately deprived them of their fundamental human rights.
Women’s removal from the public sector affected both the economy and healthcare sector of the state. Afghanistan became isolated from the international world and the Taliban are now seeking global recognition. But, the Taliban have to improve their performance in the government sector to get international recognition.
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Ms. Amina Iqbal is studying international relations at Kinnaird College for Women University, Lahore.