People of Afghanistan need West’s help to survive

By Lethbridge Herald on January 19, 2022.

Editor:

We watch on television with heartbreak a million children in Afghanistan are grossly undernourished, many dying daily from starvation.

They have harrowed ittle faces, large haunted eyes, bones sticking out of their pale, wrinkled skin and swollen bellies due to prolonged hunger. I wonder what is their fault.

This is not just an Afghanistan crisis. It is a tragedy of humanity. We are all linked, interconnected through human bonds. How can we stand by and just watch or change the channel?

I have not heard of any action being taken by the Western powers to help the Afghans. They seem to have washed their hands off Afghanistan.

Twenty years ago the NATO forces, led by the U.S., had marched into Afghanistan to drive the Taliban out and save democracy in that nation. They spent billions of dollars on the unwinnable war. Today, the same Western nations are not prepared to spend million dollars to save Afghanese people. Why?

Because the West has imposed sanctions against the newly founded Taliban government. Have sanctions ever been successful in bringing about changes that we desire? No!
What sanctions actually do is to harm the citizens and make them suffer. The Taliban are not being punished by the sanctions. They are comfortable, have plenty of good food, clothing for the winter, shelter, money and power .

The Western powers must arouse their compassion and humanity and start negotiations with the Taliban to create conditions for supply of food and clothing to the starving and shivering Afghan people and their children.

Organizations like UNICEF, Red Cross, Oxfam and other food agencies would be ready to execute the task .

The whole of humanity is a part of us. We cannot be happy if millions out there are suffering and we have the knowledge that given enough will, we can help.

A fraction of money that NATO spent in saving democracy in Afghanistan can save millions of hapless Afghans from untold suffering and pain .

I  know that we are suffering from the COVID crisis here at home but but we must realize that Afghan people are going through a much greater tragedy.

Ramma Sawhney

Lethbridge