Xinhua, September 28, 2008

Poverty, unemployment driving Afghanistan towards instability

Majority of Afghans have little access to clean water, job, job insurance and regular income to run their daily life smoothly

The war-torn Afghanistan has experienced a deadliest year in 2008 since the collapse of Taliban regime in late 2001 as so far this year more than 4,000 people including 1,445 civilians have been killed.

Up to 18 million people in Afghanistan live on less than US$2 a day and are considered food-insecure, FAO says.

Driving factors towards increasing instability, according to Afghans, is high rate of unemployment and poverty in the war-wrecked country.

Many of those fighters joining Taliban insurgents are illiterate tribal people, young seminarians and low educated jobless youths.

"If I fail to find job I would have no choice except to join Taliban or leave for Iran as I heard they (Taliban) pay more stipend than the government," said a jobless youth who was waiting for customer at a square in west of Kabul.

Taliban outfit, according to him, pay 400 U.S. dollars while a government soldier receives some 200 U.S. dollars a month.

Hundreds of jobless Afghans are seen waiting from down to dusk at Chawk Kota Sangi square west of Kabul to be hired.

If any one calls for a laborer, dozens would surround him.

The job-seeking man who introduced himself Faiz Ali emphasized that "no one would commit suicide unless he or she is fed up with the miserable life."

Though there is no exact statistic about the rate of unemployment in Afghanistan, it is said that some 40 percent of the country's 25 million populations are jobless and some 5 million Afghans live under poverty line in the war-battered nation.

The war-torn and landlocked Afghanistan is largely dependent on international community's assistance to recover from over three decades of war and civil strife.

Since the collapse of Taliban regime in late 2001 the international community has contributed more than 35 billion U.S. dollars for the rebuilding of the war-ravaged central Asian state.

In the post-Taliban Afghanistan the per capita income has increased from 70 U.S. dollars in 2001 to 300 U.S. dollars in 2008,according to Aziz Shams, an official at the Ministry of Finance. Afghanistan, even though has made tremendous achievements in the fields of communication and road building, needs a long way to go to recover from war devastation and stand on its feet.

Majority of Afghans have little access to clean water, job, job insurance and regular income to run their daily life smoothly.

Increasing Taliban-led militancy, poor living condition particularly in the countryside, and the sway of warlords coupled with corruption and poppy cultivation have enabled militants to challenge government and exploit the situation for their benefit.

"Taliban militants come to our village almost every night and ask people to support them (Taliban) either by giving money or man," said a man from Barakibarak district of Logar province who did not want to be identified.

He also said that the government has to protect the lives and properties of the citizens by eliminating Taliban insurgents from each corner of the country.

Mostly proclaimed offenders and those at large have gathered under the umbrella of Taliban to hide their face and escape punishment, a person from southern Uruzgan province said.

The 48-year old man who refused to be identified said that Taliban outfit pays 500,000 Afghanis (10,000 U.S. dollars) as reward for any group or individuals who attack a district headquarters.

Many of those carry out suicide bombing, according to him, besides receiving money from their masters have been brain washed.

"High rate of unemployment has driven thousands of Afghan youth to the neighboring countries Pakistan and Iran to seek job or to Taliban rank to fight government and international troops based in Afghanistan," the 48-year old man stressed.

He also emphasized that daily long queue of visa seekers behind the embassies of Iran and Pakistan speaks of the living condition of people in the country and "Taliban would further benefit from the situation if the status quo goes unchecked."

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