AhlulBayt News Agency: Repeated visits by United Nations and Taliban officials to Bamiyan, accompanied by promises to improve living conditions and protect people’s fundamental rights, have yet to bring tangible benefits to residents, who continue to lack even basic public services.
Recently, officials from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) visited Bamiyan, the country’s largest predominantly Shia province, and held discussions with local authorities and community representatives on social, economic and human rights issues.
On Monday, November 2, UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan Roza Otunbayeva, accompanied by a UNAMA delegation, travelled to the province and met local officials and representatives to discuss social and economic concerns.
During a meeting with Bamiyan’s governor, the UN representative said the mission remained committed to bilateral cooperation in economic development, improving people’s livelihoods and strengthening private-sector activity in the province.
She also welcomed local authorities’ efforts to combat drug cultivation, trafficking and consumption, and said UN agencies would continue supporting initiatives to encourage farmers to adopt alternative livelihood options.
The UN representative further pledged to seek the attention and cooperation of international organizations for the completion of unfinished projects, the implementation of development initiatives and a more effective response to the needs of Bamiyan’s residents.
The visit was the second by UN officials to Bamiyan in two weeks. Earlier last week, Gianluca Sigabattella, UNAMA’s deputy human rights chief, visited the province to assess its human rights situation. During that meeting, Bamiyan’s governor said the protection of fundamental rights would be among the Taliban administration’s main governance priorities.
The governor also told Otunbayeva that addressing residents’ problems and meeting their basic needs were the local administration’s responsibility, adding that public service delivery and accountability were receiving greater attention.
Such visits are significant for Bamiyan, a province that remains geographically isolated, with many residents living in mountainous areas and caves without access to basic necessities.
Aid that fails to reach Shia areas
Since the Taliban returned to power, more than $11 billion in assistance has reportedly been allocated to Afghanistan under United Nations oversight and management, representing one of the largest international support efforts for the country. Yet, according to the report, there has been little evidence over the past five years that this aid has been effectively used in Bamiyan to improve livelihoods, build roads and health facilities, create jobs or raise public welfare.
Bamiyan’s governor, who represents the Taliban’s central administration in the province, speaks openly about fundamental rights. Residents, however, continue to pay substantial taxes to Taliban government offices while lacking access to basic public services.
As a result, young people are leaving the province, while patients travel to Kabul or neighbouring countries for medical treatment. Many villagers must also navigate difficult and dangerous mountain routes to reach Bamiyan city.
UN officials visiting other provinces in Afghanistan have often highlighted projects such as health centres, water dams, electricity provision and other development initiatives—measures that can, at least to some extent, improve people’s living conditions. In Bamiyan, however, such visits have largely been limited to meetings and ceremonial events, the report argues. It describes this as a painful reality that has persisted for years, particularly since the political changes of the past five years.
Senior Taliban figures have also made ceremonial visits to Bamiyan in recent years. Officials including Mawlawi Abdul Kabir and Sirajuddin Haqqani have travelled to the province at different times, holding formal meetings and promising to address residents’ problems and improve their lives.
But these visits, the report says, have likewise failed to produce lasting, tangible results for Bamiyan’s Shia residents. Long-standing deprivation remains unresolved, essential infrastructure has not significantly developed, and access to healthcare, education and livelihood opportunities has seen little noticeable improvement.
The report concludes that UN offices in Afghanistan and Taliban officials have adopted a largely publicity-driven approach toward Bamiyan, rather than one focused on practical results.
It says Bamiyan’s residents have not supported conflict or violence and that the province has not become a centre for drug cultivation and trafficking. Instead, the report characterizes them as people who have consistently supported peace, moderation and a stable Afghanistan.
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