CHINESE President Xi Jinping, known for his visionary policies and programmes, has come out with a highly pragmatic approach on Afghanistan that needs to be followed by other members of the international community.
He told a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) that Afghanistan should be guided to be more open and inclusive, and pursue moderate domestic and foreign policies.
At the same time, he urged “relevant parties” in Afghanistan to eradicate terrorism and promised to provide more help to the war-torn nation.
For a long time, the world community saw Afghanistan as a breeding ground for terrorism and extremism having no central authority and tried to resolve the problem through the use of force.
The policy failed but Afghanistan now has a strong central government with control of almost all parts of the country and, therefore, the world can legitimately expect from the Taliban to deliver on their promises about non-use of their soil for terrorist and criminal activities.
This is a task that foreign invaders could not accomplish but the Taliban can definitely produce the desired results if properly encouraged by the international community.
Therefore, the Chinese policy of close engagement with new rulers in Kabul is a step in the right direction and this approach could help stabilize the situation in the country at the earliest.
It would be unfair to penalize the Taliban Government without giving it an opportunity to implement its moderate agenda and promote national unity through an inclusive government.
The Chinese President deserves appreciation for making a strong commitment and that too from a strong regional platform for provision of assistance to Afghanistan in tackling its problems.
This would hopefully encourage other nations to follow suit as there is a historic window of opportunity for Afghanistan to become a peaceful and stable country.
