Ask BBC expert on Afghanistan transcript
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| This event took place Tuesday 30th October, 2001 |
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BBC expert on Afghanistan
A BBC expert on Afghanistan, Baqer Moin, joined us for a special Live Chat in relation to the current crisis...
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Question from Dave: When was Afghanistan born? Was it a British invention?
Baqer Moin: Afghanistan as we know it today came into being some 250 years ago,
around 1748 by a king called Ahmad Shah Durrani. The present state of Afghanistan has been around since that date and wasn't actually a British invention but the British had a say in setting the borders as we know them today.
Question from Jayne: Why is there a refugee problem in Afghanistan and how long has it existed? Who are they and where do they usually flee to?
Baqer Moin: The refugee issue in Afghanistan started after the Soviet invasion in
1980. They started flooding out of Afghanistan into Iran and Pakistan ever since and at
present there are three and a half million Afghan refugees. The reason that they left the country was partially civil war and in recent years the drought which has led to a major displacement in the country.
Question from Balaji Subra: What's Iran's interest in this war? Is it reasonable to allow the Post Taliban era to be an Iranian Supported Government?
Baqer Moin: The Iranians haven't got on well with the Taliban. First the Taliban are a kind of puritanical Sunni group who have been very much anti Shiite and anti Iranian. In 1997 when the Taliban entered the city Mazar-e-Sharif they killed Iranian diplomats and the countries went to war. The Iranians have also kept some good relations with the Pashtoon leaders such as Mr Hekmatiar who is currently based in Tehran. The Iranians were very suspicious of Taliban, they considered them an American creation. At the moment they are supporting the Northern Alliance.
Question from Raj Dev: How do the general people of Afghanistan feel about Bin Laden and the Taliban?
Baqer Moin: Until the 11th September and the start of the coalition, generally Osama Bin Laden and his people, as well as most of Taliban leadership, were seen to be unpopular with the majority of Afghan people. We have no way to be sure, but from what we know the Taliban are still unpopular there.
Question from Balaji Subra: Where is the voice of Islamic women in this conflict? If Afghan women are being suppressed by Talibans, why aren't Islamic women in more developed nations such as Malaysia speaking out against them?
Baqer Moin: It's a very good question. Traditionally Islamic women are not participating in politics. However in certain Islamic countries like Egypt, some women have been expressing their thoughts, especially about the war.
Question from Payman Abri: Is it a possibility that Afghanistan divides into two countries, Tajiks in the North and Pashtons in the South?
Baqer Moin: In the last decade no major Afghan group has expressed any desire to break away from Afghanistan. None of the Afghan neighbours are encouraging it. None are interested in dividing Afghanistan into two.
Question from Darren Jackson: If the military action were to cease tomorrow, what
would be the best way forward to resolving this conflict of terrorism?
Baqer Moin: Should there be a possibility of bringing pressure on Taliban to hand over Osama Bin Laden and his supporters, it may lead to the success of the attack. However, I feel that because of the support of the Taliban leadership, this option seems to be out of the question. Now that the attack on Osama Bin Laden and his bases has started I cannot see any end to it because there is only one solution, the creation of a broad based government in Afghanistan that would be sufficiently strong to prevent Afghanistan from being a centre for terrorism and to ensure that Afghanistan would move towards peace, better communication, better job creation schemes, a more prosperous country. That is the only way forward for Afghanistan.
Question from Valiappan Chettar, India: If the Pashtoon areas of Afghanistan and
Pakistan were integrated into an Islamic republic of Pashtoonistan, would that help solve the crisis?
Baqer Moin: I think neither Pakistanis nor Afghans are interested in that option. It may be an option to some Pashto nationalists but it may bring about more instability for others. It would become a major source of instability so it's a question that may be in the long run. When people can vote democratically, they can go for it but not in the middle of a major crisis.
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