Former US envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad has expressed his views on the situation in Afghanistan, five years after the Islamic Emirate returned to power, and the performance of the Islamic Emirate.
Khalilzad has said that to improve relations between Afghanistan and the United States, Kabul must address Washington’s concerns about detained or missing American citizens in Afghanistan. He has also emphasized that the United States must increase engagement with Afghanistan due to its geopolitical interests.
He identified the three major challenges facing Afghanistan as the fate of American citizens, the disappointment resulting from the end of the 20-year American presence, and the policies of the Islamic Emirate, especially the educational restrictions on girls.
Khalilzad called the restriction on girls’ education morally wrong and socially shortsighted, but said that Afghanistan has progressed better than initially expected in some areas.
He referred to the development of infrastructure, support for agriculture, and the expansion of the Islamic Emirate’s regional relations with Central Asian countries, especially Uzbekistan, and said that these measures have exceeded expectations.
The former US representative also expressed surprise at the deterioration of relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan and considered it disappointing that the political transition process in Afghanistan is continuing without a clear roadmap for a constitution and future political system.
