September 23, 2021–Leaders from Pakistan, Tajikistan, and other Central Asian countries are strengthening regional alliances and looking to the international community for help in dealing with the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and security concerns in the region.
In the absence of U.S. and NATO military involvement in Afghanistan, new partnerships and ways of thinking are taking shape to influence the region.
Of first and foremost concern for many of the area’s leaders is the massive humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said it is in the international community’s collective interest to support the people of Afghanistan.
“This moment should not be squandered,” he said. “We must remember that the previous Afghanistan government survived on 75 percent foreign aid. With the removal of foreign aid, there is a danger of economic collapse.”
Humanitarian Crisis in Afghanistan
On Monday, the UN Security Council voted unanimously to extend authority for six months of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). That allows the mission to take the lead in addressing rising humanitarian concerns since the Taliban takeover in mid-August.
Half the population is “in urgent need of aid,” according to a joint statement that Norway and Estonia released following the council’s decision.
“We applaud the international community’s commitment this Monday, to scale-up humanitarian funding, but it is also critical to ensure that humanitarian assistance, in particular women humanitarian workers, will have safe and unhindered access throughout the country,” the release said.
Deborah Lyons, UN’s Special Representative to Afghanistan and the head of UNAMA, is leading efforts to establish common ground for addressing the pressing humanitarian needs. Also, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who has already raised $1 billion toward humanitarian relief in Afghanistan, urged delegates at the UN General Assembly to work together to address the problems of humanity.
“We need to focus on the future,” Guterres said. “We need to renew the social contract. We need to ensure a United Nations fit for a new era.”
Threat of Terrorism Persists
Khan said he remains concerned about ongoing threats of terrorism and is willing to assist the international community to thwart it. However, he rejected both the idea of “block politics” strategies to confront threats as well as Islamophobia.
“Despite the international community’s earnest efforts, the threats posed by terrorism still persist,” he said.
“Associating one religion with terrorism has enabled far-right, populist and supremacist groups around the world to propagate, multiply an accumulative influence. In some cases, such extremists and bigoted ideologies have ascended to capture the state power in so-called democracies.”
Pakistan’s Heavy Losses in 20-Year War
Emphasizing that he wants peaceful relations at home and in neighboring Afghanistan, Khan addressed the heavy losses his country took during the fight against extremists.
“For decades, Pakistan has suffered from terrorism that was planned, supported and financed and orchestrated by state entities from across the border,” Khan said. “Outside the active zone of conflict, no other country has suffered more than Pakistan. We have suffered 80,000 casualties.”
It’s not clear which state Khan was referring to. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently raised concerns about extremism in his comments at a regional meeting on Friday.
A Role for China’s Regional Alliance
Leaders also talked about strengthening regional alliances and organizations.
For instance, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is an alliance led by China that includes seven other countries and plays a role in coordinating security discussions in Central Asia. In that vein, Russia is actively leading efforts.
“The urgent task facing our organization is to pursue a single and coordinated policy based on the assessment of serious risks related to the mounting tensions in Afghanistan following the hasty withdrawal – or more like a downright escape – by US and NATO troops from the country,” said Russian President Vladimir Putin at the recent SCO meeting.
The SCO is recognized by the United Nations as an organization playing a role to help stabilize Central Asia.
Iran Joins the Talks
It’s worth mentioning that Iran joined the SCO as an observer in 2017 and is interested in ascending to full membership. This year, both Iran and India countries joined the annual SCO summit for the first time.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi attended the summit in person this year and delivered a speech, highlighting the role of SCO in promoting multilateralism. Iran shares a border with Afghanistan, which plays a crucial role in the country’s economic stability. Raisi emphasized the importance of working with all ethnic and political groups in order to maintain peace and prosperity in Afghanistan.
Economic Investments
Several leaders emphasize the role of the economy and said they hope economic investments in the region provide stability.
Addressing the UN General Assembly this week, Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, is emphasizing his country’s neutrality policy, which the government approved December of 2020. That applies not only to the region but also to neighboring Afghanistan.
“Today, the eyes of the world are fixed on Afghanistan,” Berdimuhamedov said. “The emerging institutions of power and society are extremely fragile.”
Berdimuhamedov also said he’s planning to continue investments in infrastructures, energy and transportation to weave Afghanistan into the economic fabric of the region.
“The realities of Afghanistan have changed. And coming up with approaches to Afghanistan, all ideological preferences, grievances, phobias, and stereotypes should be set aside,” Berdimuhamedov said. “We must first think of the Afghan people, who are tired of war and turmoil.”
Strengthening UN Role In Region
Berdimuhamedov plans to sponsor a resolution in the General Assembly to strengthen regional cooperation and the UN’s role in Central Asia. The focus on multilateralism is a sentiment with widespread international appeal, particularly in light of the failures of the U.S.-led 20-year war in Afghanistan.
Rejecting ‘Occupation‘
Finally, what’s clear is that the U.S.-led war came to be seen in Afghanistan and abroad as an occupation. The approach by U.S. political and military leaders to remake the country under a new regime failed.
Beginning several years ago, Qatar began hosting talks between the Afghan leaders, the Taliban and the United States. Addressing the 76th UN General Assembly this week, Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said they did so because they saw that war “offered no solution.”
Furthermore, it was the policy of regime change and the approach to rebuild the broken country into a democracy that failed.
“The issue in Afghanistan is not a matter of victory or defeat but rather the failure to import a political system,” Sheikh Tamim said. “Regardless of intentions, efforts made or money invested, this experience in Afghanistan has collapsed after 20 years. The world has reached correct conclusions in this domain.”
Additional reporting by Srinidhi Rajagopal.
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