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Paper short abstract:

The paper examines the philosophical paradigm that guides the engagement of the Ismaili Imamat institutions in the rebuilding of Afghanistan and strategies that helped the agencies to make significant contribution to improving the quality of life of poor people in rural and urban areas.

Paper long abstract:

Proposal for Paper Submission

Central Eurasian Studies Society

CESS 7th Summer Conference in Tashkent, Uzbekistan

June 23-26, 2022

The Role of the Ismaili Imamat in Rebuilding Afghanistan’s Shattered Infrastructure: 1996 to Present

Hafizullah Emadi, Ph.D.

Former academician and scholar and consultant

E-mail address: hafizullah_emadi@yahaoo.com

Abstract

The paper examines the philosophical paradigm that guides the Ismaili Imamat approaches in provision of humanitarian assistance to communities affected by natural disaster and war and examines how the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) despite continued political instability and ethno-sectarian conflicts in Afghanistan manages to work with marginalized communities and establishes partnership with the national government and international community to rebuild Afghanistan’s shattered infrastructures.

Although a number of International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) were involved in development projects in Afghanistan, their efforts neither yielded tangible results in improving the quality of life nor gained the support of the local communities and they were forced to close down their offices when the Taliban seized power in August 2022. INGOs driven by sectarian beliefs such as Shelter Now International and others used development aid as instruments to convert people to the Christian faith. These agencies failed to establish organic links with the community because people did not appreciate their condescending and patronizing attitudes toward them and rejected aid with strings attached. In contrast to such approaches, the Ismaili Imamat institutions had adopted an inclusive policy with respect to the local values and way of life and seeking peoples’ views and making them part of the decision-makers and implementers of the projects. Pluralism and diversity constitute the guiding principle of the Ismaili Imamat approach to development and engagement with local communities irrespective of their respective belief system.

The paper is based on review of existing published and unpublished materials. A dialogical approach supplemented the conventional research methodology involving discussions with both people in charge of development agencies and beneficiaries of the projects in urban and rural areas in Afghanistan. Such an open-ended dialogical approach helps to avoid too much of a reliance on published materials; such reliance on literature alone would encourage acceptance of existing interpretations of developments and change in the country.

The paper’s main contribution to the existing literature on the community and regional development is that how the values of integrity and dignity and respect are at the forefront of AKDN’s work, with the traditional Muslim concepts of cosmopolitanism and social justice guiding its response to the stark challenges of the modern age.