The recent meeting of Afghan government opponents in Islamabad has once again raised a serious question in the minds of the public: What are these scattered and rootless groups seeking, and what support are they relying on?
The answer is clear; these hated figures, after being disappointed by the world’s major powers, They are expecting support from a country that, to put it precisely, has been reduced to an “empty shell” for years.
It is no secret to anyone that Pakistan today is no longer the country that once tried to present itself as a regional power; a country that, when examined from any angle, is mired in deep and complex crises:
- Economic Crisis:
With a little reflection on the current situation in Pakistan, we find that the inflation rate in the country has now reached its highest level in the last three decades. The value of the rupee has plummeted, and people are facing serious difficulties in obtaining daily bread and fuel.
On the other hand, the country’s heavy reliance on IMF aid and foreign loans has completely eroded its economic independence, with many economic experts describing Pakistan as being on the verge of complete bankruptcy.
- Political crisis:
On the political front as well, severe disagreements between parties and prominent political figures, the imprisonment and detention of opposition leaders, the suppression of popular protests, and bloody street clashes have made Pakistan’s political landscape darker than ever.
Political instability has prevented any government in this country from being able to plan long-term for improving the situation.
- Security crisis:
The security situation is also not very defined these days, as insecurity in various provinces of Pakistan has reached its peak. Armed campaigns, explosions, and clashes between various groups in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and even major cities like Karachi and Lahore, indicate the real weakness of the Pakistani government and its lack of control over the security situation.
The weakness of security forces and the army, coupled with the spread of insecurity in Pakistan, has multiplied public distrust in the government and shows the country’s situation is similar to the final years of the fallen Afghan republic.
- Social crisis:
Widespread poverty, youth unemployment, mass emigration, bureaucratic corruption, ethnic discrimination, and the lack of social justice have pushed Pakistani society toward moral and social collapse.
Public protests against rising prices, energy shortages, and basic services are increasing daily, adding to the number of government opponents; a situation that indicates the decline of the Pakistani government’s claim to be people-oriented and has worried the regime’s politicians.
The question now is: Why are the opponents of the Afghan government so attached to such a country? A country that, until yesterday, when they on the seats of the republic, called it their greatest enemy.
The reality is that these currents have no popular support within Afghanistan. Not only have they lost their social standing, but they have also become symbols of failure, corruption, and treason in the public mind.
In the past four years, every country they have sought refuge in and begged from has turned them down and rejected them with complete disrespect.
Therefore, by holding the meeting alongside the hated Pakistani army, these groups showed that they still view foreigners as their saviors, oblivious to the fact that Pakistan today is no longer capable of supporting itself, let alone supporting the failed political projects of the Afghan opposition.
The people of Afghanistan are well aware that holding a meeting under the protection of the Pakistani army and its notorious intelligence services is a sign of political dependence and lack of courage; a trend that will lead to the further removal of opponents from the Afghan social scene.
It must be mentioned that the opponents of the Afghan government are not only united, but severe disagreements among their leaders have led to them having no single voice. As a result, these meetings are more likely to deepen divisions than lead to unity.
Relying on Pakistan – a country facing its own legitimacy crisis in the world – will further erode the little political credibility the opposition has with other countries.
Meanwhile, the people of Afghanistan view the Islamabad meeting as a futile effort by a defeated group clinging to any rotten rope just to keep their name alive.
In conclusion, it must be said that the meeting of Afghan opponents in Islamabad will not only yield no achievements for them, but will literally be detrimental to them; because by looking to the “empty shell” of Pakistan, they are accelerating their own decline.
Undoubtedly, such gatherings are nothing more than an endless display of the opposition’s incompetence, dependence, and isolation, and their ultimate outcome will be further disgrace before the Afghan nation.
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