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Did you know that it's been nearly 15 years Afghanistan freed itself from the Taliban diktat? The Afghan Army has been able to push the insurgents farther and farther into the portentous Hindu Kush pockets and the civilians are once again leading a beautifully carefree life? People play football, cricket, women wear sunglasses and normal clothing, cheering for their cricket teams at the grounds. No longer are they forced to wear garments covering them from head to toe, like we had read in books like the Taliban Cricket Club. 

"It was 1999 when Taliban said to people that you don't have to shave, now it's 2014, people are wearing sexy clothes in public places, walking  with their girls, have chats in parks, texting, different European haircuts, watching football matches at midnight etc. It's completely a new Afghanistan," says the writer of this article below, who is also a journalist.  

Female lawmakers are no longer an anomaly in Afghan politics and the ongoing election saw the participation of the country's first woman vice presidential candidate. Afghan women have taken giant strides of progress with access to education and healthcare.

In fact, Afghanistan also has a cricket team, and it's international team is now touring Zimbabwe for a warm up match. The captain, Mohammed Nabi, is the heartthrob of many. 

Ismat Khan, the young writer from Afghanistan, and a friend of Mohammed Nabi, was surprised to know the world do not know of this new Afghanistan and that we are still afraid to visit the country, fearing Taliban will kidnap them! Apparently, the Taliban era is long since over and now the common people do not even want to mention them in their conversation.

"We hate terrorism. The Army is doing a wonderful job and Hamid Karzai, the President of Afghanistan, is the man of the moment," he says. "A neighboring country supports Taliban in these Pashtun territories so they can keep the Pashtuns away from education, development and so many other things which are their legal rights."

CITRUS is honored to feature the beautiful country in this issue. Ismat Khan writes on the surge of cricket madness that is engulfing the emerging new Afghanistan, battered by only a five-year official government by the Taliban. The Taliban, during those five years, constructed a highly critical interpretations of the Islamic law and were condemned internationally for their brutal treatment
of women.  

The Taliban (Pashto: طالبان‎ ṭālibān "students") spread throughout Afghanistan and formed a government, ruling as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan from September 1996 until December 2001, with Kandahar as the capital. However, it gained diplomatic recognition from only three states: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. (Source: Wikipedia)

Now all that is over. Taliban are now just a terror wing trying to cause sporadic damage to the liberated society every now and then. Ismat Khan and his countrymen hope that the world stops taking 'Afghanistan' and 'Taliban' together in the same sentence anymore. 

The terror is receding, and we should embrace it with a open and warm hug. ~ CITRUS EDITOR