Islamabad (Khyber Mail): Ambassador Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s former Special Representative for Afghanistan, expressed serious concerns over the US decision to halt economic assistance to Afghanistan. Speaking at a roundtable discussion held at the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) on Thursday, he highlighted that half of the Afghan population depends on international humanitarian assistance. The cessation of US aid could force many Afghans into extreme poverty, potentially resulting in a significant migration to Pakistan. “We need to be prepared for such an eventuality,” he said.
Ambassador Durrani revealed that the Taliban government had already informed its employees that they would not be receiving salaries for the next three months. He acknowledged some positive outcomes from the Taliban government, such as reduced corruption and poppy cultivation. However, he noted that the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported a 19 percent increase in poppy cultivation last year, cautioning that this could rise further if Afghanistan’s dire economic situation remains unaddressed.
He mentioned that Afghanistan’s immediate neighbors and Russia are supporting Afghanistan through currency swaps and border trade, but warned that these measures are insufficient for a full economic recovery. Ambassador Durrani emphasized that the relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan is unique compared to their relations with other neighboring countries. He urged the Government of Pakistan to adopt a holistic sociocultural approach towards Afghanistan, rather than treating it as a bureaucratic exercise.
Addressing the misconception that Afghans dislike Pakistan, he questioned, “If Afghans hate Pakistan, why do we issue 3,000 visas a day to Afghans?”
Mr. Aarish U. Khan, Head of the Afghanistan Program at IRS, expressed hope for improved economic relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan. He noted that the recent US decision to rescind certain waivers to sanctions against Iran, including those related to the Chabahar Port, might make Afghanistan more reliant on Pakistan’s ports for trade.
In his concluding remarks, President IRS Ambassador Jauhar Saleem emphasized the historical and brotherly relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan. He called on both governments to leverage the potential of people-to-people and business-to-business relations, rooted in their longstanding historical and cultural connections, to foster economic collaboration and mutual prosperity.