Afghanistan Monitor - Volume 3

The Afghanistan Monitor is a regular publication from Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) Pakistan that covers the political, economic and humanitarian situation since the Taliban takeover. Each issue features experts’ analysis of the country’s latest development. The third issue summarizes the events from January to March 2023. Since August 2021, the situation in Afghanistan has continuously evolved with the attainment of power by the Afghan Taliban. Having been in power for nearly 20 months, the group appears to have consolidated their position as the de facto and not de jure political authority in Afghanistan. The Taliban have come a long way from the 1990s when they were widely regarded as anomalies in the modern world of politics. While they have exhibited certain positive changes in terms of attaining overall security throughout the country,1 pragmatism regarding the economy, and clamping down on corruption and poppy cultivation, concerns continue to remain regarding political and social cohesion, and the development of social, political, and economic structures.