Only reconstruction can bring peace to Afghanistan

The aid giving agencies in Afghanistan have expressed dismay over the failure of the donor countries to deliver the promised 10 billion dollars aid to Afghanistan.
In its report, the Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief (ACBAR) said two-thirds of the promised aid was not directed through the Afghan government. Most of that amount was spent on expensive consultants, project designs and other non-developmental expenditures.
This is the first time that a voice has been raised against the foreign countries for not spending enough on the welfare of Afghans, who are the victims of nearly three-decades of war and civil strife.
The Western and other donor countries had pledged US$25 dollars to Afghanistan after the overthrow of the hardliner Taliban regime in Afghanistan in late 2001.
Earlier, the Afghan government, led by President Hamid KarzaiHamid Karzai and the Afghan parliament, raised objections to the spending of huge amounts by foreign NGOs and governments without consulting the Afghan government.
However, the freshly released ACBAR report said a big chunk of the amount was being spent on military expenditures while a small amount goes to the reconstruction activity, which is important to the restoration of lasting peace and stability.
According to Afghan analysts and some officials working on key slots, peace will remain elusive unless the poverty-stricken areas were brought on a par with the developed areas.
Even the central capital of Kabul can hardly be called "developed" as its dwellers still lack clean drinking water and do not have electricity to illuminate and keep their houses warm, while the condition of the main roads and streets is also pathetic. However, there are ample employment opportunities and enough economic activity in the central capital to help the people stick to constructive activities instead of resorting to looting, plundering and killing of people with the Taliban in the backward areas.
The warning by the ACBAR is very timely in the view of many Afghan analysts. The report says military spending is colossal as compared to the amount being spent on reconstruction. US military spending in Afghanistan, it says, is $100 million per day as compared to the meager amount spent on the reconstruction and welfare of the war-wearied Afghans.
While the presence of a large number of foreign NGOs and the huge expenses incurred by foreign consultancies have always been a thorn in the side of the Afghan government, the report said a large part of the aid to Afghanistan was returned to the donor countries in the form of consultations, huge salaries and other expenses like that.
The report added that peace and rebuilding efforts in Afghanistan were being undermined because foreign donors had failed to deliver the promised assistance. Spending more on security than on reconstruction has an impact on peace and stability in the country.
In a comparison with Bosnia and East Timor, two other major recipients of the international aid, the report said Afghanistan received only $57 per capita while the other two countries had received $679 and $233 per capita, respectively.

ENDS