Afghanistan's Complex Relationship With The Taliban: Understanding Public Sentiment

The Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan has been met with widespread backlash and resistance from Afghans, with millions forced to flee the country. The Taliban's harsh rule has stripped Afghan women and girls of their fundamental human rights, erasing them from society, and limiting their access to education, employment, and freedom of movement. The Taliban's ideological and repressive policies, particularly towards women, have drawn international condemnation and threaten to isolate the country further. The group's internal power struggles and inability to govern effectively also raise questions about their ability to maintain control and prevent defections. While the Taliban faces opposition from some Afghans, it is unclear how much support they have within the country.

The Taliban's stance on women's rights

Since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in August 2021, the human rights situation in the country has drastically deteriorated, particularly for women and girls. The Taliban have issued a series of decrees and guidelines that violate the human rights of women and girls, and restrict their freedom of movement, expression, liberty, work, and education.

Education

The Taliban have barred girls and women from receiving an education beyond the sixth grade. In December 2022, the Taliban banned women from attending universities, with male students being ushered inside while women were turned away at gunpoint. This has devastated female students and lecturers, who now face bleak prospects.

Employment

The Taliban have also severely restricted women's professional opportunities. Many women have lost their jobs, and those who remain employed are only allowed to work from home. Women are banned from working in NGO offices, with the exception of the health sector. This has disrupted the world's largest aid operation, as women account for about 30% of Afghan NGO workers in the country.

Freedom of Movement

The Taliban have imposed strict restrictions on women's freedom of movement. Women are not allowed to move around in public spaces unless they are accompanied by a male relative (mahram). They are only permitted to leave their homes for urgent matters and must wear full veils when they do so.

Protection from Violence

There are now very few support systems in place for survivors of sexualised violence. The nationwide system of support built up by women's rights activists over the past 20 years has almost completely collapsed, and staff offering protection and advice are subject to threats and often have to work undercover.

Forced and Child Marriage

The Taliban's policies have led to an increase in forced and child marriages, as families marry off their young daughters in return for a dowry to avoid starvation. The Islamists have also been accused of forcing families to give them their unmarried daughters as brides.

Political Participation

Women are now excluded from public office and the judiciary. There are no women ministers in the new Afghan government, and women are forbidden from participating in the judicial system.

Healthcare

The Taliban have banned the sale of contraception, which could have fatal consequences for women, as Afghanistan has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the world.

Dress Code

Women are required to adhere to a strict dress code, with presenters on TV news programs having to wear full veils during broadcasts.

Impact

The cumulative effect of the Taliban's edicts and behaviours has largely resulted in the imprisonment of women within the walls of their homes. Women's rights activists are facing serious threats, and those who protest against these restrictions are being threatened, arrested, and tortured.

The Taliban's relationship with Pakistan

Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate (ISI) has long supported the Taliban, even helping to create the group in the 1990s during the Afghan civil war following the Soviet withdrawal. The ISI has provided the Taliban with financial resources, training, weapons, logistical support, and safe havens in Pakistani territory, which have been crucial to the Taliban's ability to wage an effective insurgency. Pakistan's military leaders would have likely preferred a peaceful end to the conflict in Afghanistan, provided that their Taliban proxies held decisive influence in any future Afghan government. They would especially like to see the Taliban gain control of the country's leading national intelligence service, the National Directorate of Security, which they believe works closely with their archenemy India to destabilize Pakistan.

Pakistan's support for the Taliban is not without risks. The Taliban are virulently anti-Shiite, which increases sectarian tension in Pakistan, which has a much larger Shiite population than Afghanistan. The Taliban's seizure of power in Afghanistan could also lead to international isolation for Pakistan, as it would put an end to civil liberties, media freedoms, and women's rights in Afghanistan.

The relationship between the two groups is not without its complexities. The Pakistani Taliban (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) has found safe haven in Afghanistan, from where they have launched a growing number of attacks on the Pakistani military. While the two groups are separate, the Afghan Taliban leaders have close ties with the Pakistani Taliban. Pakistan worries that pushing the Afghan Taliban too hard will result in the Pakistani Taliban stepping up their attacks.

Despite the risks and complexities, Pakistani generals remain confident that Islamabad will not pay a heavy price for continuing its support of the Taliban. Pakistan's proximity to Afghanistan gives the country leverage over the United States, which still requires Pakistani airspace and bases to support counterterrorism capabilities and supply troops in Afghanistan.

The Taliban's internal power struggles

The Taliban is a predominantly Pashtun, Islamic fundamentalist group. The Taliban's leadership council, the Rahbari Shura, is led by Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada, who has not been seen publicly in years. The Taliban's government is led by a thirty-three-member caretaker cabinet, comprising former Taliban officials and individuals loyal to the group.

The Taliban's success as an insurgency rested on its ability to remain cohesive despite efforts to fragment the group. However, maintaining cohesiveness across its many different factions of varied ideological intensity and material interests is tougher now that it is in power. The factions have disparate views about how the new regime should rule across all dimensions of governance: inclusiveness, dealing with foreign fighters, the economy, and external relations.

On the other hand, other Taliban leaders want to retain control of Afghanistan for a long time and are, therefore, more pragmatic and internationally oriented. They include the faces of Taliban diplomacy such as Acting First Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, and some powerful military commanders with potent networks and influence, including Acting Minister of Defense Mullah Yaqub, and Acting Minister of Interior Sirajuddin Haqqani.

These leaders have repeatedly tried to persuade Akhundzada to rescind the bans on girls' education and women's employment, but to no avail. A power change within the Taliban to constrain or remove Akhundzada is risky and could lead to the execution of its organizers and further Taliban splintering.

The Taliban's economic policies

Revenue Generation

The Taliban has a long history of taxation during their insurgency period, and they have continued this practice to generate revenue. Between March 2022 and March 2023, the Taliban regime generated around $2.2 billion in revenue, according to the World Bank. This includes taxes on assets and properties, income tax, fees for licenses, and municipality taxes.

Corruption Reduction

The Taliban has cracked down on some forms of corruption that were endemic in the previous Afghan government, particularly in state institutions and customs. This has reduced the overall burden on the private sector, even as formal tax receipts have remained steady.

Domestic Economy Focus

The Taliban is trying to make the Afghan economy more self-sustaining, focusing on domestic revenue and customs to finance projects. They are investing in infrastructure projects like dams, canals, and tunnels to boost agriculture and connect remote provinces.

Mining and Natural Resources

Taliban officials have prioritized the expansion of oil extraction to meet domestic demand. They are also seeking to exploit Afghanistan's vast mineral wealth, including lithium ore, which is estimated to be worth almost $1 trillion.

International Relations

The Taliban's crackdown on women's rights has worsened its pariah status internationally, hindering efforts to gain control of central bank reserves held abroad and secure Western funding. Afghanistan's top trading partner, Pakistan, has also disrupted economic ties due to political tensions.

Impact on the Population

The economic conditions for Afghans have continued to deteriorate, with a surge in humanitarian needs since 2021. The number of Afghans requiring humanitarian assistance now represents over two-thirds of the population, and poverty levels are increasing.

Food Security

The Taliban has implemented some measures to address food shortages, such as reducing taxes on food imports by 50% and discouraging opium production in favor of food crops. However, their restrictions on women's participation in the labor force and education have been detrimental to the economy and aggravated poverty.

In summary, the Taliban's economic policies center on increasing domestic revenue, reducing certain forms of corruption, and pursuing self-sufficiency through infrastructure development and natural resource extraction. However, international isolation and the impact of their policies on food security and poverty levels continue to create significant challenges for the Afghan population.

The Taliban's stance on education

The Taliban's exclusionary Pashtun-centred rule has turned highly repressive towards all forms of opposition. The group has eviscerated individual rights and decimated women's access to education, jobs, and even the public sphere for travel and medical care.

In areas under Taliban control, the group has prohibited watching television and restricted access to smartphones and the internet. The Taliban have also banned women from travelling more than 75km without a male guardian and from visiting public baths, restaurants, and parks.

The Taliban's harsh interpretation of Islamic law has resulted in the use of corporal punishment, including public floggings and executions. The group has also cracked down on journalists and restricted press freedoms, with more than 200 news organisations forced to close.

The Taliban's ban on girls' education has been described as a "global nadir in education", impacting an entire gender, a generation, and the future of the country. The group's actions stand in direct opposition to the core principles of Islam and hinder their efforts to gain international recognition.

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