Experts discuss various challenges prevailing in Afghanistan

Experts and students came together to discuss the prevailing challenges that has crippled the peace and stability in Afghanistan.

A conference titled 'Dialogue Series: Democracy in South Asia, was held at India International centre in New Delhi. The event was organized by People's SAARC.

The panelists believe that Afghanistan cannot fight against terrorism alone and the war-torn country needs a collective response from the international community to solve the ongoing issue.

After the withdrawal of foreign forces last year, Afghanistan has been facing a major security challenge. Experts believe the Taliban and other militants are backed by neighbouring Pakistan.

"The main problem of Afghan security is the fact that support and sustenance continues to be provided insurgency in Afghanistan from his contiguity in Pakistan. This is something President Ghani has openly spoken about in the last two weeks and that is the main problem that has confronted Afghanistan. since 2002 the former Taliban and AL-Qaeda elements ran away to Pakistan, Pakistan assured the international community that they would take care of them in a way that they would not pose a problem to Afghanistan and that has not been done and till today we are reaping the consequence of the early neglect," said Jayant Prasad, a former Indian ambassador to Afghanistan.

In his presentation, Omer Sadr, a Phd. Scholar from South Asian University, Delhi, raised five main challenges the country has been facing.

Sadr felt that India's role is very prominent and efficient in Afghanistan, and is primarily focusing on infrastructure and capacity building.

"In my presentation I have flagged on five main challenges which are in front of state building democracy in Afghanistan. One is a kind of imposition of state building project from upside, personal project which tries to establish formalistic, rational, impersonal system which does not fit the traditional societal structure in Afghanistan and also they try to impose centralized political system, which create a kind of tension again with the local power holders or the regional power holders", said Sadr.

India continues to provide constructive development assistance to Afghanistan with a strategic interest that Afghanistan should stand on its own feet and takes its own decision.

India has been using 'soft power' to rebuild Afghanistan but the deteriorating security situation in the country makes it lead backward.

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