Some people may perceive the recent US-Taliban pact as the beginning of a peaceful era in Afghanistan but I won’t agree with this ‘optimistic’ opinion for several legitimate reasons. They argue that Taliban has “changed” a lot over time and now they’ve become more civilized people. This is totally wrong, the fact is the US and allies were desperately looking their way out of never-ending Afghan war. They’ve just signed a deal preventing Taliban to train, assist or host ‘international terrorists’ planning to attack their home countries. In return, they are going to lift global sanctions from Taliban allowing them to resume most of their activities within Afghanistan except for suicide bombing. They’d be allowed to carry firearms for “defensive purpose”, build their religious schools and mosques, legally use social media, obtain radio licenses for public broadcasting and register as a political party to run for the next elections in Afghanistan.

It’s safe to say that the United States has surrendered to Taliban’s Islamic Sharia. The inclusion of Taliban in mainstream politics will bring even stricter Islamic laws in the already Islamized country. Afghan citizens should now be prepared for more stringent anti-blasphemy and apostasy laws, restricted freedom of speech and a more intolerant society. The treaty will give Taliban a freehand to preach their radical Islam. Once they find their way to legislative parliament, Taliban will influence the government to include more Sharia laws in the Afghan constitution. This will result in the radicalized education system, discrimination against women, nonbelievers and women rights activists in the country. Taliban could reintroduce lashing, limb amputation for theft and public executions for minor crimes like blasphemy under Sharia laws.

Afghan Taliban lashing a woman accused of breaking Sharia law in public (Photo: Human Rights Watch)

The literacy rate in Afghan women is well below 20% which is the lowest in the entire region. Nearly all non-Muslims had to flee Afghanistan after Taliban came into power in the 1990s. After that, they began to target those Muslims who reject their inhumane Islamist ideology. The return of Taliban is only going to make a bad situation worse. They are still the same illiterate people with intolerant and radical mindset. The recent peace agreement bars them from planning terrorist attacks on America and allies but there’s no clause in the treaty requiring Taliban to refrain from human rights violations, discrimination and hate speech in Afghanistan.

Blast from past: Female medical students at a university in Afghanistan in 1960s

All I can say, the shortsighted global leaders have dug their own graves by empowering Taliban in a hope to escape from an endless battle. Radicalized Islamic regime will not only breach the human rights of local citizens but it will also make Afghanistan an ideal safe house for religious extremism which is the root cause of Islamic terrorism. Taliban should’ve been given amnesty only if they had been agreed not to enforce Sharia again. This could’ve made the deal justified and might have made Afghanistan a peaceful, progressive country again.