Worrying about Afghanistan – and AfPak..
Things are not looking good in the neighbourhood…Power-sharing talks between the 2 rival presidential candidates in Afghanistan appear to be on the verge of collapse, raising the real possibility of a return to chaos – this after 3500 lives lost and billions of dollars. This is not the only collapse. The economy too is on the brink. The withdrawal of foreign forces is likely to make it worse..
…The World Bank has said about 97 per cent of Afghanistan’s gross domestic product is derived from spending linked to foreign forces and the donor community.
…Afghan elites …are increasingly shifting assets and investments to safer destinations like the UAE. Even government employees nervously wait for payday, worried the next might be delayed. Due to declining economic opportunities Afghanistan’s farmers have been hedging their bets by ratcheting up poppy cultivation since last year.
Meanwhile, troubles in Pakistan are acquiring a life of their own, prompting headlines such as this: “..Country teeters on the brink” and the rumours about a coup …Grim days ahead on the geo-political front, I worry…
Related Post: Explaining AfPak to a 4-year old
Excerpts from After Syria and Iraq, AfPak on Islamic State radar, Islamabad, September 3, 2014:
…A booklet titled Fatah (victory) in Pashto and Dari languages was distributed in Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, as well as in Afghan refugee camps on the outskirts of the city, the Express Tribune reported.
…
Formerly known as the ISIS, the group introduced itself as Daulat-e-Islamia (Islamic State) in the pamphlet and made an appeal to the local population for supporting its jihad (struggle) for the establishment of an Islamic caliphate.
A number of hardline groups operating in border areas have already announced support for the outfit. Among them, Abdul Rahim Muslim Dost and Maulvi Abdul Qahar, stalwarts of Saudi Arabia-backed Salafi Taliban groups operating in Nuristan and Kunar Provinces of Afghanistan, have extended support to the self-styled caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Besides distribution of its literature and pamphlets, some of the ISIS supporters have also made wall chalking, asking locals to join and support the group. Some cars and vehicles also have ISIS stickers pasted on them.
Long but superb read: Afghanistan: ‘A Shocking Indictment’ by Rory Stewart – a review of the book, “No Good Men Among the Living: America, the Taliban, and the War Through Afghan Eyes” by Anand Gopal