The Taliban needs to build credibility. It lacks the leadership and institutional skills to govern Afghanistan. Guns spout bullets. Guns do not spout systems to manage countries. The immediate future could see some clashes between the Taliban, resistance forces Daesh, etc., for a leadership struggle. If Afghanistan devolves into a civil war, it would exacerbate the humanitarian disaster. Afghanistan could become the global terror capital, as it was in 2001. Then, expect history to repeat itself. Western troops will march in again to control the mayhem, within a decade.

The United Nations has made an urgent appeal for food for Afghanistan. The country has food till end-September. Most of the under-five age children are undernourished and one third of the population of 40 million sleeps hungry.

It is indeed bizarre, that Afghanistan, where every Talibani soldier carries a terrifying gun, has no food to feed its people. All the guns that the Taliban display and parade in macho poses in pictures are the leftovers of the departures of the super powers like Brittan, Russia and America. Afghanistan has no capability to manufacture a single bullet or a gun locally. It has no industry. Now, it is time, that the Taliban should acquire the expertise to grow some wheat, for its people. It is indeed a satire, that Afghanistan threatens the whole world with its swag, terrorism, guns and bombs perpetually, then goes with a bowl to seek food to feed its people.

If the Taliban decides to modernise and teams up with sensible countries to establish democratic institutions, there could be hope. If Taliban turns a new leaf and relaunches itself, to bolster the economy and hold general elections, it will be a panacea.  This is the only way forward, for a country whose people have battled poverty, bullets and tears for centuries.

Rajendra Aneja — Mumbai, India