The survey in which Afghans had to rate their quality of life was carried out by analysis company Gallup a year after the Taliban came to power. That the population of Afghanistan is dissatisfied with their lives is clearly visible, according to Klas Bjurström, senior strategic advisor at the Swedish Afghanistan Committee.
– There is a sense of resignation and despondency among very, very many people. And you see no change, he says.
In November, the Taliban regime fully re-imposed religious Sharia law in the country, with corporal punishment and executions.
The economy was hit hard
In addition to the strict religious rules that exist in Afghanistan, the country’s economy has also been affected since the Taliban took over. The country has a GDP of approximately 350 dollars per person per year – the same figure in Sweden is 50,000, according to Klas Bjurström. He describes the economy in Afghanistan as “completely crushed”.
– Out in the countryside where the largest part of the population lives, there is a struggle for survival in everyday life right now, he says.
“Afghanistan not the same country today”
Although there is dissatisfaction with the regime among the people of Afghanistan, the threat to the Taliban’s position of power is small.
– But Afghanistan is not the same country today as when the Taliban left power last time. Since then, millions more people have gone to school, you have completely different expectations and opportunities to communicate with each other, says Klas Bjurström.