A decade after delegates attended the first Bonn conference on Afghanistan with high hopes for its future, the gathering in the former West German capital tomorrow is likely to take on a more sombre mood. There are international conferences roughly once a year that gather Afghan and world leaders to discuss the future of the country, without making any pivotal decisions. There is a feeling that this conference too will be no different, but it still raises expectations.
Kabul's residents have called on the delegates to help alleviate poverty and hunger in the capital. Violence scars day-to-day life, unemployment runs high and nearly half the population has no access to clean drinking water. Issues likely to dominate the agenda include transfer of security from international to Afghan forces, talks with the insurgents, relations with Pakistan, and the role of international forces and foreign aid after the 2014 deadline for the withdrawal of combat forces. But the last-minute withdrawal of Pakistan after a Nato shootout on its border will definitely be a setback. This, notwithstanding, delegates must take part with a clear assessment of what has been achieved in the past decade and what lies ahead. Apart from aid and security, immediate steps must be taken to provide the common man with his daily needs — food and drinking water.
