There is a strange paradox about the exit of NATO and American forces after 2014. Generally it was believed that majority of Afghans are in favor of this and it was thought as their most-desired demand. Similarly, a number of political analysts were of the view that with the exit of NATO and American forces, there would be sharp decline in the activities of extremists and Taliban.

It is a general perception that extremists and Taliban are against the stay of foreign troops and the exit of these troops has been their prime demand. Similarly, some of the extremist and religious factions are strongly opposed to the presence of any foreigner on Afghan land and they term it to be a worst form of occupation and thus consider it very necessary to go to any extent to push them out of the country borders.

Attacks on the foreign and national forces by the extremists are also considered due to the same reason and it is thought that with the exit of these troops, there would be sharp decline in these attacks and the general security conditions in the country would improve.

Similarly, a sovereign state would never tolerate the unnecessary presence of any kind of foreign troops on its land and when a number of innocent civilians were killed by the attacks of foreign troops and the public pressure surmounted on the government, government also demanded the exit of foreign troops.

With all these points in mind, foreign troops announced their exit from Afghanistan till the end of 2014. This announcement came almost two years before but such rumors about the exit of foreign troops were in air even before that and speculations had started about the possible impact of this act.

Though this announcement was much awaited and it was hoped that it would be taken as good news but there was mixed response from different factions of society. Some welcomed it and regarded it as the beginning of a new era for Afghanistan. They were of the view that now Afghanistan would be able to prosper and develop all on its own and there would be absolute peace and security in the country, assuring the consistent and smooth development of the country.

But some political analysts came up with fears that with the departure of foreign troops, country would become vulnerable for a number of threats; both internal and external. Taliban or militant groups may again come into power and the gains obtained from the democratic and peaceful development after the government of Taliban would be completely wasted and once again, country would be thrown back into the pangs of anarchy and civil war.

Afghan forces are now in good position to defend the country from any kind of internal or external threats but they are still in the development stage and many experts were doubtful about their ability to completely handle the security situations of the country. Till recently, our forces relied on foreign troops due to their advanced weapons and technology and their assistance was very necessary in big military operations.

Our forces may have developed enough skills to carry out any kind of military operation, but as far as latest weapons and equipments are concerned, it would take many years before our forces become self sufficient to protect the borders of the country. It was feared that with the exit of foreign troops, the process of equipping our troops with latest equipments and training would be stalled and it would threaten the general security of the country.

Recent clashes of National Army with Pakistani border troops in Nangarhar province was also seriously taken by a number of military experts. No doubt, our troops were able to handle the situation gallantly yet it would take many years until our forces become able to handle a widely spread military conflict, especially with a well-established and trained opponent.

Anyhow, same fears were realized by the countries already extending military training to the Afghan troops and some of them like Germany and others have shown their intimation to leave behind their military trainers for the training and improvement of Afghan forces in the long run.

We can also not claim that there is present complete unity in the country and still we are divided on the basis of regions, race, color and language and this drift becomes much visible on some occasions. It is also feared that old warring factions may also try to resume their power in the country. These problems have greatly been repressed in the presence of foreign forces and it is also feared that after the departure of foreign forces, these problems may re-emerge more seriously.

Another impact of this announcement was observed in the field of economy. As it is clear that Afghan economy has just started growing and still it is in its initial stages and would consistently be in need of foreign investment for many years to come until it becomes fully self-sufficient. It was just last year that we were able to collect one billion dollars from the taxes and still our military and civil expenses depend on the aid given by the international community. In such meager situation, the announcement came as a shock to the economy.

As it is in our knowledge that the economic gains and expansion noticed in 11 years of democratic government was mostly due to the foreign investments and assistance. Thousands of development projects were initiated and billions of dollars came gushing to the country and entered the veins of economy. When the announcement about the exit of troops was made, it greatly affected the functionality of thousands of NGOs and private foreign businesses who started to pack up their projects and businesses.

These NGOs and businesses had invested large sums of money and provided jobs to hundreds and thousands of Afghans in different parts of the country. Both directly and indirectly, they were injecting good deal of money into the economy and the majority of the economic activities owed their gratitude to their spending. They had also rented a number of houses in capital and other cities of the country.

When they rolled up their projects and businesses, the income received to the owners of houses was ceased and they also fired a number of workers who worked for them. We see that, as these NGOs and businesses were closed, number of jobs started shrinking and there was noticed a great rise in the general unemployment.

There were conditions when finding a house was next to impossible and houses were rented on such high prices that it cannot be compared to even the developed countries of the world. Now, the condition is absolutely the opposite of it and one can find 5 to 6 empty houses in a street and monthly rents have fallen to third part of the previous.

Afghans may be demanding the immediate exit of foreign forces but such a demand should be made keeping in mind all the ground realities and long term objectives of the country.