ISLAMABAD, Nov 27: The Citizen’s Peace Committee has expressed concern at the holding of a three-day conference on “Preparing for Afghanistan’s Reconstruction” hosted by the World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Islamabad.

In a statement issued here on Tuesday the CPC said the post-war Afghanistan would need strong support in the areas of agricultural recovery, revival of irrigation network, food security, livelihood regeneration and provision of basic civic facilities.

However, it said, it was important to learn from history that the security agenda, development and corporate business interests have been intimately liked for as long as the conflict in the region has lasted.

Corporate interests of Unocal, Delta Oil, Brides, Shell and Mitsubishi in the lucrative but unexplored oil and gas reserves of the Caspian region were initially consistent with foreign support to the Taliban regime and other warring groups in Afghanistan, the statement said.

These business giants are also very close partners of the international financial institutions (IFIs) in the private sector.

Many commentators have pointed towards this politico-economic tussle as underpinning the renewed military conflict in this region, it said.

The CPC demanded that the Afghans rather than international institutions should be allowed to make any decision about the social and economic future of Afghanistan.

The situation in Afghanistan demanded immediate attention, but not in terms of states such as America and international institutions meddling with the affairs to secure their own benefit. International institutions should be focusing on providing Afghans relief from potential famine. They should also focus on preventing ongoing human rights abuses, the CPC statement said.

The CPC demanded that the immediate human needs and rights of Afghans be addressed.

It stressed the need for an analysis on the link between conflict and development paradigms. The CPC contended that a number of policies unleashed by the IFIs in the region had exacerbated ethnic, sectarian and other conflicts.

The CPC pointed out that the World Bank and other institutions were already discussing the issue of loans to Afghanistan, including those arrears that remained from earlier loans.

“For a war-torn county like Afghanistan, it is hypocritical for agencies operating on a mandate to alleviate crisis to be offering loans rather than grants.”

The CPC said that like in the past, the IFIs would hire foreign consultants and pay extravagant fees to them which should be opposed.

The citizens body, also condemned the past and present policy prescriptions of the IFIs because they had contributed to an increase in poverty, inflation, and unemployment in Pakistan over a prolonged period of time. There has also been worsening of Pakistan’s debt situation and a vicious cycle of borrowing to repay earlier loans has been established.

The Pakistani government has increased indirect taxes on basic commodities to boost revenues-such taxes are regressive and further impose difficulties on the majority of Pakistanis.

The CPC demanded that the anti-poor policies of these institutions be retracted immediately.

It also demanded immediate debt relief to Pakistan instead of debt rescheduling.

All conditionalties asserted by the IFIs in their agreements with Pakistan that had a negative effect on social sector development, and employment and incomes of low-income groups, should be withdrawn.

The CPC demanded that the privatization policy, forced upon Pakistan by the IFIs, which has rendered thousands of workers jobless, should be halted.

The economic policies being implemented by the government as a result of pressures from these institutions, are forcing more and more workers into the informal sector where they have no protection from exploitation.

The rights of these workers should be protected, the CPC demanded. Ban on workers organizations should be lifted immediately, it said.