Islamabad (Mubarak Ali) A devastating 6.0 magnitude earthquake in Afghanistan’s Konar province has claimed thousands of lives and destroyed entire villages. While the Taliban appealed for international aid, reports suggest that their supreme leader, Sheikh Hibatullah Akhundzada, remains reluctant to openly seek foreign assistance. His hesitation stems from the regime’s so-called self-reliance narrative and a fabricated Sharia justification that forms the core of Taliban ideology.
Akhundzada has not issued any message of sympathy or condolence for the victims. Instead, the Taliban’s worldview treats natural disasters as “God’s will,” a stance that conveniently masks their silence and inaction. This rigid approach exposes their priorities: harsh ideological enforcement and moral policing over basic human needs.
Such attitudes have already caused major delays in aid during past crises. In the 2022 Paktika earthquake, where more than 1,000 people died, the Taliban initially resisted foreign help before reluctantly allowing limited assistance. Similarly, in the 2023 Herat earthquake, humanitarian agencies faced Taliban restrictions, especially bans on female aid workers, which crippled relief efforts.
Following the Konar tragedy, Pakistan, India, China, and the UK pledged support. However, US assistance—once the largest for Afghanistan—has nearly dried up by 2025. According to the United Nations, Afghanistan requires $2.4 billion this year, but only 30 percent of the needed funds have been received. The Taliban’s oppressive policies, especially their crackdown on women’s rights, are a key reason global donors have pulled back.
By clinging to their hollow policy of self-reliance and ideological rigidity, the Taliban are undermining Afghanistan’s ability to cope with humanitarian disasters. Konar’s victims desperately need tents, food, and medical supplies, yet Taliban reluctance and their obsession with isolating the country are choking aid delivery. History repeats itself: in the 1990s, the Taliban’s isolationist mindset blocked relief efforts, leaving millions in misery. Unless the Taliban abandon their hardline dogma and take practical steps, more innocent lives will continue to be lost.
