Of course it was too good to last. It's been just a week since the Taliban took over Kabul, the airport is still in American hands, and due to the number of people wanting to leave the country, there is complete chaos. The Taliban have adopted a hostile attitude towards the U.S. and have warned it to get its remaining troops out of the country before the end of this month.
I often wonder why Pakhtuns are so stupid. Now is the time to earn the goodwill of the west, but they simply can't change. Before conquering the country, they presented a softer image of themselves, but immediately after coming to power, they said they would impose their strict version of sharia in the country. They had spoken of an inclusive government but have yet to form one. One of those they should have taken as partners was the son of the man they killed a day before 9/11 in a suicide bombing attack (Ahmed Shah Masood). Now he has gone and taken over Panjshir, where he has vowed to fight the Taliban to death. There are more pockets of resistance throughout the country, so one hopes the attention of the Taliban will not turn towards destabilizing Pakistan.
Pakistan, on the other hand, stands to gain from the increasing cross-border trade. Supplies from India will almost certainly stop, so we could benefit from the events unfolding in Afghanistan. But for how long? One day, the world might impose sanctions on Pakistan for being friendly with the Taliban. I only hope that the morons who run our country have the sense to realize that the Taliban are a dangerous lot and Pakistan should not appear to be their main supporters.
Post a Comment