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Updated October 4th, 2021 at 07:44 IST

Afghanistan citizens call for unfreezing foreign aid to curb price hike, unemployment

Three months into the Taliban regime, people in Afghanistan have continued to plunge deeper into political, social and economic instability: Report. Read here:

Reported by: Dipaneeta Das
Afghanistan
IMAGE: AP | Image:self
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Three months into the Taliban regime, people in Afghanistan have continued to plunge deeper into political, social and economic instability, ANI reported citing local media on Saturday. Citizens are facing a "sharp jump" in poverty, unemployment, food and fuel prices across the country. According to Ariana News, residents have claimed that the dramatic increase in food and fuel prices is a result of a blockade of access to the country's international reserves.

Notably, since the formation of an all-male interim government defying and other factors defying international law, assistance organisations across the world have ceased financial support to the outfit-led Afghanistan. Underlining the need for the immediate release of foreign aid, citizens appealed to the international community to accelerate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the country, Ariana News reported.

"If aid comes, it is good, because people are upset and prices have increased," Zamari, a resident of Kabul told Ariana. The outcry against poverty and unemployment aligns with a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report published earlier this month, which stated that by mid of 2022, 97% of the country could plummet into a serious economic crisis due to the freezing of funds.

Call for an immediate economic response

"Half of the population is already in need of humanitarian support. This analysis suggests that we are on the course of rapid catastrophic deterioration in the lives of Afghanistan's most vulnerable people," Kanni Wignaraja, UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific. 

Currently, the country is dwindling on the brink of 'universal poverty,' UNDP said in a statement. The study suggested an immediate need for an economic response program to counter the ongoing crisis in the war-torn nation. The study published by the UNDP analysed as many as four political scenarios of "escalating intensity and isolation" that indicated the real GDP contraction by 13.2%. The estimated percentage hinted that at the current rate the poverty graph would rise by at least 25%. The UNDP report also highlighted the need for immediate humanitarian assistance to restore normalcy after the "catastrophic deterioration in the lives of Afghanistan's most vulnerable populations."

Similar concerns were stated by International Monetary Fund (IMF) spokesperson Gerry Rice after the organisation decided to half funds to Afghanistan on September 17 owning to international standards of government recognition. "The funds will remain suspended until there is clarity within the international community on recognition of the Taliban-led government," he had said. However, deeply concerned about the economic condition in Afghanistan, Rice urged the international community to ascertain a response deemed fit to curb the "looming humanitarian crisis."

Nevertheless, Afghan people have remained calm and hopeful that the situation will change sooner than expected. "People's problem has increased, but we should be patient," another Kabul resident Mohammad Baqi told Ariana. Recently, EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid delivered 14.4 metric tonnes of urgent life-saving supplies to WHO in Afghanistan. Similar shipments and donations have been made by world powers to avert deeper crises.

With inputs from ANI

Image: AP

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Published October 4th, 2021 at 07:44 IST

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