There is another reason for concern—about 12 to 14 Indian projects are currently underway there. Almost every project was nearing completion. The Indian government has poured 13,000 to 14,000 crore rupees into them. But nothing came of it. In terms of exports, things like cinnamon, poppy seeds, pistachios, and almonds used to come from there. All of that has stopped since the Taliban arrived. They are entering the parliament with guns. They don't even respect the parliament as an institution.
Only one person, who was the Vice President, didn't flee. He is sitting with them and holding discussions. The others fled. They had promised to provide good governance and rights for women—people fell for those words. As a result, they managed to enter without any resistance; they faced no hurdles. It's a small country of about 37 to 40 million people. The land is large, but the population is small.
To be honest, the people there are very innocent. They want to live their own way. But the Taliban took that opportunity in a brutal way. You've seen some of the atrocities; it would make anyone cry. None of the tortures are acceptable—things that human eyes cannot bear to see. We have seen many Taliban atrocities before—beheadings and such—but this seems different.
In this 21st century, when we have become so educated—not just India, but the whole world—everyone seems silent, as if nothing is happening. Everyone is quiet. Protest is necessary; without protest, nothing will change. The engineers and supervisors who were working on projects there are trying to flee. You saw yesterday—two boys fell from a plane. They lost their senses in their desperation to survive and tried to hang onto the plane's wings, eventually falling to their deaths.
People will do anything out of the urge to survive. Now, no one can leave their homes. Women, especially, cannot. Any woman seen without a proper veil is being caught and beaten, even shot. This doesn't happen in a civilized country. And history shows that any race that has oppressed women has eventually been destroyed. These are not an organized political party; they are just a few people with weapons in their hands ruling a country. Afghanistan is in a pathetic state. If you read their history, you'll understand how miserable their condition is. They were managing somehow, and some youth joined the projects when they started. Now, they can't even protest; if they do, they get shot. Women are protesting in groups, but it only leads to bloodshed. These people don't understand anything except "kill them, shoot them."
This cannot last long. India has said one thing: we will provide refuge to the people of Afghanistan. Apart from that, they haven't said much. Since the military surrounds the airport, Indian planes are landing, and Indians are being evacuated like cattle in cargo planes—no seats, just sitting on the floor. 500 to 600 people are being crammed in just to get them back to their country with their lives. Many people have called me, saying, "Gurudev, our boys are in Kabul, please look into it." I also saw many comments in yesterday's episode. They are worried about the global peace situation.
Peace will be disturbed. America just guarding the airport isn't enough. The Taliban might have 70,000 to 75,000 soldiers at most. If India and America fought together, those 75,000 would vanish. But will they do it? That's a global political matter. India is stuck because 5,000 Indians are still there. If they take any action, those people will be attacked. People can't even step out of their houses; if they do, they get shot. There is a severe food and petrol shortage.
The Indian government had 400 projects there, and 3/4th were completed. Now, the parliament building in Kabul, which India built, is where they sit and speak against India. They have no shame; they only understand blood.
Any country that oppresses women is doomed. Look at the big countries of the world—they are silent out of fear. Those who commit injustice and those who tolerate it are both equally guilty. This is an international conspiracy. We've seen the consequences of "Talibanism" in many places; it's unbearable.
Remember Taslima Nasrin or Salman Rushdie? They spoke out and had to take refuge in other countries. They even put a price on their heads. This kind of rule cannot last. They only rely on the power of the gun. People are helpless because they don't have weapons. We had the Maoists (Maobadi) in Junglemahal; they were similar. Did they last? No.
Terrorism cannot survive anywhere in the world. People must protest. When the Jallianwala Bagh massacre happened, Rabindranath Tagore renounced his Knighthood. Why? He was a world-renowned poet, but he felt he had to protest. We must protest as long as there is blood in our veins. I might not have great physical power, but I will continue to protest against injustice until I die, even if I get shot for it.