Taliban victory is writ large in Afghanistan

All events indicate that a Taliban victory in Afghanistan is now a certainty. The former prime minister Ashraf Ghani has reportedly left the country, saying that he did so to prevent any further violence. The Taliban themselves have said they are pleased that the transfer of power so far has happened without bloodshed. We, too, would like to see a peaceful transfer of power take place, and the onus is now on the Taliban leadership to ensure that the people of Afghanistan are not exposed to any form of cruelty.

Since entering Kabul—and from even before—the Taliban have said that the citizens will not be harmed. That pledge should be carried through. There must not be any revenge killing, as the Taliban have pledged. Having willingly taken over the responsibility, the Taliban must protect the people and guarantee their safety—even from their own individual soldiers by maintaining strict discipline. The responsibility to protect the lives and property of the people, as well as different minority groups, now rests on their shoulders—including from criminal elements that may try to take advantage of the existing power vacuum.

On the other hand, we have seen disturbing footage of people trying desperately to flee Afghanistan and a number of people have reportedly died amidst the chaos. This indicates that the people are afraid of what is to come, and there is a great sense of insecurity that could potentially lead to even more loss of lives. The Taliban leadership has to intervene here and reassure the people that they have nothing to fear. They should coordinate with other forces to arrange a way for people who wish to leave the country to be evacuated in an orderly fashion.

Now that the foreign forces have mostly left Afghanistan, and the former government seems to have more or less dissolved, the Taliban have a great responsibility at hand. It is one thing to take over power, but it is a completely different matter altogether to form the administrative structure necessary to form a government that serves the people in the long run, while maintaining peace. That will require winning over the hearts and minds of all the people, not just those whom the Taliban see eye-to-eye with.