“Afghanistan striving to return to normalcy under the new regime” – A first-hand account

Afghan warlords and mercenaries were the real beneficiaries of the US invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, which continued for two decades and brought misery to the people and instability to the region. In wake of the exit of the US forces and the consequent fall of Kabul however, the country is now striving for a return to normalcy under the new regime.
These views were expressed by Tariq Abul Hasan, a well-known journalist, while sharing first-hand accounts from his recent visit to Afghanistan before a team of researchers from IPS on October 27, 2021. IPS Chairman Khalid Rahman, GM-IPS Naufil Shahrukh, Nadeem Farhat Geelani, senior research officer at the Institute and senior IPS Associate Amanullah Khan were also present on the occasion.
The journalist shared that during his stay in Afghanistan, routine life appeared normal in Kabul and other main cities as women – both veiled and unveiled – were seen roaming around roads and streets freely and economic activities continued though at a slower pace. The Taliban government also appeared lenient towards routine TV transmission, he added.
Hasan was of the view that Pakistan needs to treat Afghanistan as a sovereign state owing to the fact that the Taliban, as per his observation, disliked the impression of being under the thump of Pakistan as projected by certain elements in the media. He also stressed the need for improving people to people contact between the two countries, which can lead to amelioration of worsening education and health sectors in the war-torn country.
Commenting on the opening of the Torkham border, the journalist opined that Afghans in general considered its closure tantamount to inflicting harms on their economy, and hence welcomed the opening of the Torkham border – a move which the Afghans believed could put an end to their current economic crisis.