By Munibar Barui
Recently, after the U.S.A. and NATO completed their withdrawal from the Bagram air base, and most other key locations, the Taliban have been making advances to return to power, through completevehemence. Furthermore, even the Indian diplomats and other officials were evacuated in anticipation of violence.
In this context, the Contact group on Afghanistan of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers not only criticized the violence, but cautioned against any forceful capture of power in Afghanistan. A recent Central and South Asia connectivity conference in Tashkent also expressed similar concerns due to reoccurring violence in the region.
Thus, such instability in Afghanistan has direct impact on India as because Afghanistan has been culturally close to India. Further, they share a strong tie wherein Afghanistan has been acting as an important link in the regional trade, cultural, playing the role of a connecting bridge for Central and South Asia. Nonetheless, such ongoing civil war in Afghanistan will lead to refugee crisis in Central Asia and South Asia. Adding to such troubles, rising unemployment will also lead to Taliban resurgence which will revive extremism in the region and the region can become a safe sanctuary for Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIS), Lashkar-e-Taiba (Let), etc.
In conclusion, it should be noted that enough space is required for Afghanistan in Central Asian regional groupings like Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). In current context, Afghanistan has observer status in SCO. Thus, a full-time membership for Afghanistan in SCO will create consensus among regional powers over Afghan questions and it fills the vacancy created by withdrawal of United States of America. The author works as a reporter under the banner of Sattachintan. He is a writer, an avid aquarist, a tech-savvy individual with a will to do something in life.