Of course no one expected the Ashraf Ghani government to last long after the withdrawal of American and NATO forces from Afghanistan. Most people thought it would take a few months before Kabul fell, but no one expected it to happen within ten days or so. The Taleban have entered Kabul today, and the puppet president Ashraf Ghani is reported to have fled to Tajikistan despite his defiant attitude just two days back.
Ironically, this has happened on India's independence day. Surely there is a lesson for India in all this. It spent many billions to prop up the many corrupt Afghan governments in the past twenty years, mainly with the aim of destabilizing Pakistan. India does not share a border with Afghanistan, yet it has thirteen consulates in that country. With the withdrawal of Indians from Afghanistan, it should be interesting to see if terrorist attacks to Pakistan cease or continue from that country.
Will the Taleban do what they did in their earlier spell? Will they force people to adopt their version of Islam or will they be tolerant of human rights now that they are again in power? I have a strong suspicion that the Americans have secretly promised them financial help to prevent China from spreading its influence in their country. But if no aid is forthcoming, and their government is not recognized by any of the western powers, then the Taleban might turn towards Pakistan and attempt to colonize it. I wonder if those who sit in Islamabad are ready to face that kind of situation, knowing that the Taleban have a strong support base among Pakistanis.
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