Will or won’t China take cognizance of the threat posed by Taliban 2.0 which has created hell for the people of their own country. So much so that most of Afghans are desperately trying to flee from their own country because they fear for their lives? …. A special report by Dr Sakariya Kareem
China, set to play a big role in Afghanistan faces challenges from Jihadi Taliban. The terror group which swept into Kabul a fortnight before the evacuation of the US and NATO forces from Afghanistan on August 31, has gone on a charm offensive. Despite the assurance that it would now respect freedom, equality and basic humanity, the new `Taliban 2.0’ is doing just the opposite.
It has intensified its search for Afghans who dared to work with UK, US and NATO forces in Afghanistan. Taliban fighters are going door-to-door to threaten relatives of civil servants, interpreters and other consular staff, while other militants are even stopping people outside Kabul airport. Taliban which insisted that it is a new organisation from the despotic jihadists of 20 years ago is no different. Its fighters are as bloodthirsty and tyrannical as they were two decades ago.
The rapidly evolving situation in Afghanistan is a matter of grave concern for the world community. Under Taliban control there is a significant risk of serious human rights abuses.
Human rights groups revealed that Taliban fighters have massacred nine ethnic Hazara men after taking control of the country’s Ghazni province last month. Eyewitnesses have shared harrowing accounts of the killings.
Amnesty International revealed that six men were shot and three were tortured to death, including one man who was strangled with his own scarf and had his arm muscles sliced off during the atrocity, which took place between 4-6 July in the village of Mundarakht, Malistan district. One regional police chief who stood against them was executed in cold blood by the Jihadi group.
Shocking video footage being circulated on the internet shows the kneeling handcuffed and blindfolded figure of General Haji Mullah Achakzai, chief of Badghis Province near Herat, being gunned down in a hail of bullets.
Taliban who had brutally oppressed women and allied themselves with Al Qaeda terrorists has no respect for women’s rights.
Zia Shahreyar recently tweeted. “A Taliban official in an interview in Kabul on the importance of Hijab: “Do you buy a sliced melon or an intact melon. Of course the intact one. A woman without Hijab is like a sliced melon.”
Given these circumstances, it won’t be wrong to say that under the Taliban, Afghanistan is ready to become a beacon of jihad and the galvanising force for other gun-toting non-state actors to take on their governments particularly in Africa and Asia.
Analysts say that If the Taliban is weak in its approach then the clout of Pakistan, its mentor, will become stronger and if the Taliban is strong then it will press for Pashtun rights way beyond the Durand Line and destabilise Islamabad. This will have an impact on the Middle East.
As far as China is concerned, it is ready to play a big role in n the “rebuilding, rehabilitation, reconstruction of Afghanistan”.
Will or won’t China take cognizance of the threat posed by Taliban 2.0 which has created hell for the people of their own country. So much so that most Afghans are desperately trying to flee from their own country because they fear for their lives?
Afghan women are unsure of right to live life with dignity. Afghan journalists are facing risks.
It won’t be wrong to say that under the Taliban, Afghanistan is ready to become a beacon of jihad and the galvanising force for other gun-toting non-state actors to take on their governments particularly in Africa and Asia
The Taliban has imposed a ban on mixed classes and stated that Afghan women will be allowed to study at universities under Taliban rule — but not in the same room as men. The Taliban had stated in mid-August after regaining control of the war-torn country that the role of women — including their right to work and education, as well as how they dress — has yet to be decided.
Can China completely ignore chilling stories of innocent men, women and children whose rights have been openly abused by the militant organisation? Ironically, China‘s own record of human rights violations has brought global criticism. Will China give preference to economic interest and ignore new rulers conduct with their own people.
Can China completely trust the Taliban’s promises? How will China engage the Taliban? Governments across the world are grappling with the new rulers there, especially their promises that they will pursue more moderate policies and stop any violence spilling abroad. For China, it will be the biggest challenge to deal with the Taliban-led government? Though China has claimed it has won assurances from the Taliban that Afghan territory will not be used as a staging ground for attacks inside China, its sway over the group is unclear.
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