TIME could not erase the hope from the hearts of ordinary Afghans Even alter twenty years of war and strife, their lives have not improved; their st niggles have not ended
Four years after the Taleban militia took control of
the capital. Kabul, there are warring factions preparing for a major offensive. The Taleban, which controls 90 per cent of Afghanistan, still harbours hopes of a military victory. Opposition groups who control parts of the north also believe they can "redress the balance of power through gains on the ground According to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Kabul resembles a ' bombed-out city" after World War II in an Impoverished country that squanders its resources on weapons. "No reconstruction Is in sight and its people have little hope for Improvement." he was quoted to have said.
Billions of dollars have been spent on fighting since 1979, leaving Afghanistan with Its assets depleted, "its Intelligentsia in exile, its people disenfranchised, its traditional political structures shattered." Annan added
Afghanistan js undergoing a "process of pau-
regulations forbidding girls from going to school and women from working quickly brought them Into conflict with the international community. Such issues, along with restrictions on women s access to healthcare, have also caused some rc-sentment among ordinary Afghans.
Taleban ride is rec ognised only by Pakistan. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Besides. a lot is heard about the worldwide network.
Their rigid form of Islam has antagonised most of their neighbours and Islamic states who believe they are giving Islam a bad name. Iran has described the Talcban as "medieval' while Russia and former Communist Central Asian states fear they may try to spread their form of militant Islam across the region. Not surprisingly. these states are said to be supporting the anti-Taleban opposition coalition. They will be watching the latest Taleban victories with increasing anxiety.
Bangladesh s majority population consists of Sunni Muslims. With Taleban gaining momentum. Bangladesh's future seems unpredictable. The existence of religious fundamentalists is quite clear. Whether any political party has any connection with the Taleban forces Is not known.
perisation." made worse by the country's most severe drought in 30 years. Children are dying from easily preventable disease and women and girls continue to face serious restrictions on any participation in public life. The dismissal of female civil servants from government service Is yet another sad example of the brazen violations of their rights. The Taleban is under UN Security Council air and financial sanctions aimed at forcing it to hand over Saudi militant Osama bin Laden. He is wanted for trial by the US on charges of masterminding the 1998 bombings of Its embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
The Taleban's popularity with many Afghans initially surprised the country's warring mujaheddin factions. As ethnic Pashtoons. a large part of their support came from Afghanistan's Rashtoon community. disillusioned with existing j ethnic Tajik and Uzbek leaders. Outfit (whs--nnl purely a question of ethnicity. Ordinary Aiglumsp weary of the prevailing lawlessness in many parts of the country, were often delighted by Taleban successes in stamping out corruption, restoring peace and allowing commerce to flourish again. Their refusal to deal with the existing warlords whose rivalries had caused so much killing and destruction also earned them respect.
The Taleban say their aim is to set up the world s most pure Islamic state, banning frivolities like television, music and cinema. Their attempts to eradicate crime have been reinforced by the introduction of Islamic law including public executions and amputations. A flurry of
However, the Taleban issue came up in Bangladeshi affairs quite a few times over the past few years. Attempt on the life of poet Sham-sur Rahman was allegedly by a group affiliated with the Taleban. Preceding the incident, different training camps were identified were Bangladeshi nationals were trained by the Taleban. Also, during President Clinton's visit, he refused to visit the villages he was supposed to visit because of the presence of Taleban forces in Bangladesh. More recently, the Daily Janakan-tha. a Bengali daily, featured an article, which dealt with Taleban forces planning to overthrow the government and taking control of the country-
If the allegations are even partially true, then Bangladesh has something to really worry about. Andi the, country deesjaat peed a Talcban - tnflu-i meed .society AVe meed to fight against the spirit , , thpt pupiishys, religion and (demeans humanity. , Fer this. ,we need the support of our political leaders. They cannot waste time in petty feuds. They need to come together to form a strong parliament. They need to be together for Bangladesh to stay away from external pressures.
The Taleban today crave international recognition. They would certainly like to spread their wings. And Bangladesh, for them, may be an easy target. Our ignorance and lack of foresight may prove them right.
If Russia feels threatened. Bangladesh has no reason not to.