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Kanthi Tripathi

NOW that the conflict in Afghanistan has ended, the international community has acknowledged its moral obligation of bringing relief to the war-worn country. They too have a right to peace, security and dignity. It may take years to heal the wounds of that society. But it is a task the world cannot shy away from.

Normalcy can be guaranteed and sustained only by transforming Afghanistan, which requires substituting a peace economy in the place of conflicts.

Decades of fighting have resulted in predatory economic structures based on opium production, smuggling, narcotic and arms trafficking. Over the years, the Afghan people accepted and adapted to this criminalised economy, becoming helpless victims of the collapse of economic and social exchanges.

It is a challenging task to transform Afghanistan's political economy. It will also be difficult to uproot this economy because of the entrenched interests it has created in Afghanistan and its neighbours. But, in the larger international interest, practitioners of illicit and risky economic transactions have to be shown alternative activities that yield reasonable profits. As the Afghans say, "Don't show me the palm tree, show me the dates."

This calls for quick-impact projects. A strong international presence in development can itself alter the dynamics of the Afghan economy, and create greater accountability. India is familiar with Afghanistan's development needs. The largest technical assistance programme from India was to them during more peaceful times. There were over 150 Indian experts working in areas covering agriculture to health, education, archaeology, and so on.

A similar, well-planned programme can develop the skills of the people, generate employment opportunities, and enhance the wealth-creation capacity of Afghanistan.

For instance, Afghanistan's gemstone resources are significant — the Panjsher emeralds, Sorobi rubies, the Nuristan tourmaline and aquamarine, and Badakhshan lapis. They are now sold rough through Peshawar to cutting centres in Thailand, Hong Kong, Germany and the US. India is best qualified to train Afghans to cut and polish their own gems so that they can command premium international prices. Likewise, it can help set up finishing and manufacturing facilities for their famed Karakul leather, now disposed off as raw pelts at rock-bottom prices. Village clusters can be organised for textile and carpet weaving. Afghan agriculture can be rehabilitated to strengthen traditional exports of cotton, fruits and nuts. Vocational training and entrepreneur development skills can be imparted to promote rural and small-scale industries.

Afghanistan is the most heavily mined country, with staggering numbers of mine-injury victims. Indian doctors could help set up local facilities for artificial limbs using composite materials recently developed in India.

There is also a slew of other low-cost, indigenous technologies appropriate to Afghanistan's needs, such as for bio-fertilisers, utilisation of agro-wastes for fuel briquettes, freeze drying for fruit-processing, and so on. In addition, India can train schoolteachers, and provide long-distance education through Indian universities. Afghan students can come to India for a number of specialised courses. Primary health facilities can be improved, and Afghanistan's devastated health-care system restored.

Micro-credit facilities can help rural women earn some income. Financing for these projects can come from India as well as multilateral agencies. Better integration with the global economy, in terms of foreign trade and investment, can then consolidate Afghanistan's internal reconstruction. At that stage, Afghanistan's geographical advantage can be exploited as well. For the landlocked Central Asian countries, foreign trade access across Afghanistan can be attractive.

A few years ago, an oil consortium had envisaged a pipeline from the Turkmen-Afghan region, with its enormous natural gas reserves, through Pakistan to India.

Therefore, from rural health care to international pipelines, a major agenda can transform Afghanistan. The world has to convert Afghan warlords into CEOs, for only a prosperous peace economy will find a stake in peace.

Given the present situation, all this may sound far-fetched. But actions driven both by pragmatism and idealism, and characterised by persistence, are the only means to re-profile a society so deeply fragmented and an economy so criminalised.

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