The Bitter Truth About Taliban

It was 2001, when Americans launched attack on Afghanistan. They defeated them easily but to restore the new government, it took them more than six years. Now American forces are moving out of the Afghanistan after abolishing Taliban and reducing its impact on the Afghani people.

I was curious to know, how Taliban were really like in reality. Mostly, it happens that through media, certain power of the world project wrong picture. I wanted to know that, is that the same with Afghanistan or not. To know the reality interact with the people.

I got a golden opportunity to spend some time with an Afghani. He is an educated chap, who loves his country allot. After discussing the political scenario of Afghanistan and most important, how was the Taliban in Afghanistan, I learnt many new things, which I don’t think any news channel can telecast.

To my utter shock he said that, when Taliban was there, then the conditions were good. People can leave the door open of their house and no one will enter or steal anything, no girl would be teased, or dishonored. The guy seemed to be happy with Taliban’s rule, till the time he revealed the reason of such peaceful atmosphere. If someone steals, then Taliban’s government will cut off his hands, if someone will tease a girl then he will lose his eyesight. The peace was attained in the Afghanistan society because of fear which they had established in the Afghani people.

Taliban, believed in reserved society where women need to stay inside the house. The major issue in Taliban’s rule was its anti-women policy with which its own citizens are not happy. Decline in the male to female sex ratio is very high in Afghanistan. Another, Afghani told me that to marry a girl boy has to pay dowry to the girl’s family. Well, if this thing happens in India then most of the women led NGOs will be very happy. But the trend highlights that the Taliban’s anti-women policies led to decline in male to female sex ratio.

Unemployment was another big problem in Taliban’s rule. Most of the youth were unemployed and the new generation of Afghanistan was becoming restless under Taliban’s rule. They had few options left to earn living, either pick up the weapon and join Taliban’s group or start farming of weed which Taliban’s government used to sell in Europe and America in an illegal manner to maintain Afghanistan economy.

Now, as the Taliban is not there, the challenges which Afghanistan is facing are law and order problems, continuous threat of Pakistan supported Taliban groups and generation of employment.

When Americans were bombing over Kabul’s airport, a young boy just a kilometer away from the airport was crying and telling his parents that they will die. Windows of his house were shattered due to constant bombing. That boy survived the tough times of the war and now wants his country to develop at a faster pace. War is difficult, it is madness, but the person who survives this madness knows the value of life.