ISLAMABAD, Oct 28 (APP): Serious questions have been raised over the financial accountability of the Taliban regime following a detailed report by the Kabul Institute that exposes alarming gaps in the transparency of international foreign aid.
According to the findings, the development agencies were provided USD 8 billion over the past five years for humanitarian assistance, with the United States, United Kingdom and Germany standing as leading donors.
However, out of this vast sum, only USD 21.9 million could be traced from these agencies to onward recipients, leaving public records with no details regarding the use or transfer of 91% of the total funds.
The report further highlighted deep financial oversight concerns, revealing 316 payments worth USD 1.42 billion that list recipients simply as “confidential.”
Additionally, development agencies have separately committed USD 12 billion for 1,208 projects under an increasingly opaque administrative structure. These figures come on top of USD 17.5 billion in foreign grants received directly by the Afghan Taliban regime since 2021.
Despite the influx of billions of dollars in assistance, ordinary Afghans remain trapped in severe poverty and economic hardship.
The dire domestic situation has compelled millions of citizens to seek livelihoods abroad, often resorting to illegal migration.
Afghanistan’s domestic economic balance remains severely skewed, with annual imports standing at USD 12 billion against exports of just USD 1.7 billion. This creates a staggering USD 10.3 billion trade deficit, underscoring the country’s complete dependence on foreign financial inflows under Taliban rule.
The sharp contrast between massive international assistance and persistent public suffering raises fundamental questions regarding the Taliban regime’s management of funds.
As billions continue to flow into the country, donors face growing pressure to explain how these funds are monitored, where the money is directed and why humanitarian assistance is failing to alleviate the plight of the Afghan people instead of disappearing into an unaccountable system.
Source: APP (Associated Press of Pakistan)
