Today, Afghanistan serves as a lesson to the area. It is not possible to alienate half of the population and fail to build the trust of the neighbours and allow militant cells to carry on their operations along the borders with no substantial cost. The Taliban government may speak the language of freedom and peace, however, in their past they do the reverse. Afghanistan is also in seclusion, it still exists in the state of suspicion and cannot yet prove itself as a normal state. The biggest fear to most individuals in the region is such a simple fear, Afghanistan is not becoming a good neighbour, and its failure is transforming the country into a breeder of insecurity and not cooperation.

The most embarrassing part of this crisis has been to women and girls. An abusive government cannot be regarded as legitimate and at the same time deny half of the population their fundamental rights. UN Women has noted that girls are not permitted to go to secondary school after the age of 13 and women are not permitted to go to university. It has also documented unlimited restrictions to the women work, and life in the society. These are not side issues. They go to the depth of the issue of whether a country is equally serious as far as development, dignity and modern statehood is concerned. A fear of educated girls and independent women is a fear of its future by a government. Afghanistan will not develop when its leaders expel women in schools, work places and society. That is not culture. That is exclusion by policy.

The........

© Eurasia Review