Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai, 64, spoke about the conditions in his country and his travel ban by the Taliban. In an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel, he said that millions are leaving Afghanistan because of poverty. Here are excerpts from the interview:
■ Are you afraid of the Taliban and do you fear for your life?
■■ I am not afraid. If I were, I would have fled Afghanistan a year ago. But I fear for the state and my children more than I fear for myself.
■ The Afghan parliament was closed, in addition to the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, and your name was removed from Hamid Karzai International Airport. Has the Taliban erased the past 20 years of the history of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan?
■■ The history of Afghanistan is not obliterated. Many educated people in Afghanistan know him today. Here are the millions of children and girls who are school educated, Afghan society has been modernized, and media freedom is exercised. Afghanistan’s greatest achievements have been education and human rights.
■ The Taliban prevented girls over the age of 12 from going to school, is it religious reasons?
■■ These are political, not religious reasons.
■ After the Taliban seized power after two decades of war, how many Afghans are happy with this out of a population of 39 million?
■■ Most of the people in Afghanistan want security and lasting peace. But happiness requires a good income, education and freedom. That’s why I don’t think there is any happiness given the horrific financial difficulties of the Afghan people. There are millions who leave the country in search of a better life.
■ Should the international community work with the Taliban?
■■ The Taliban government must work hard towards gaining international recognition.
■ The United States has frozen seven billion dollars, which are the assets of the Afghan state in the United States. And President Joe Biden wants to give a part of it to the relatives of the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks, as compensation. What do you think of that?
■■ Of course, there are many reasons for imposing sanctions on Afghanistan. But why would the United States take these assets? It is the foreign exchange reserves that we have been saving, since 2003, as a guarantee of our new currency. This money is not for the Taliban or the old government, but for the Afghan people. I think it is despicable to take money from a victim to give it to another victim. We share the grief of those who died in the events of September 11th. But isn’t Afghanistan the biggest victim of terrorism? And President Biden should take this into account.
■ The Taliban promised a general amnesty for their opponents, but so far former military and government employees have been killed. Where some people are arrested and brought back dead, why is this happening?
■■ The Taliban have repeatedly emphasized that not everyone should be afraid, but there are many people who are determined to take revenge. It must be stopped. The government must ensure that the amnesty is well implemented.
I hope you are not. We are now in dire need of intra-Afghan dialogue. In the end, the Afghan parliament, the Loya Jirga, must decide on all important issues. That is, the flag and the government of the country and its shape. This is the only way out of the predicament.
■ The economy was somehow maintained, due to the large number of organizations that were operating in Afghanistan. While the salaries of the army were paid by the United States. But all that no longer exists, how will Afghans maintain the economy alone today?
■■ There is now extreme poverty in the country, and the middle class that we created during my time in power is leaving. which are essential for the growth of the country’s economy. University professors, teachers, and a lot of businesses also disappeared. That is why I appeal to the present government to provide all possible incentives for the people who are still working in the country not to leave.