Afghanistan is at a critical crossroads and needs the commitment of the international community to overcome its problems, author Khaled Hosseini is urging.
Hosseini has just returned from a 10-day trip to Afghanistan as the Goodwill Envoy for the United Refugee Agency where he travelled all over the country, visiting several cities and villages.
"The conditions range from the very difficult to the, at times, appalling," Hosseini told CTV's Canada AM. "People live, many of them, in abject poverty."
Hosseini said there was a severe shortage of jobs, clean drinking water and adequate shelter in the country. According to the author, the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai is having difficulty absorbing the people who have returned from Iran and Pakistan since 2002.
It was the first time Hosseini had visited the country since 2003. Since then, he has become a bestselling author after writing two books about Afghanistan. Hosseini currently lives and works in the United States.
Hosseini acknowledged he did see some progress in the country during his visit such as the rebuilding of schools and neighbourhoods in Kabul, but stressed that much more work needs to be done.
He pointed to the widespread production of opium in the country and a strengthening insurgency in the south of the country as reasons for any progress being potentially lost in the future.
"I think we can't let Afghanistan slide back at this critical juncture," Hosseini said. "We have to build on what positive developments have been made in Afghanistan and remain committed in a long-term manner if we want long-term results in that country."
Canada has about 2,300 Canadian troops in Kandahar.
The Conservative government has said that the mission in the country will not extend beyond February 2009 without political consensus and Canada's presence in the country has been the subject of much debate.
Consequently, Hosseini fears the international community is beginning to turn its focus away from Afganistan and said this could have wide-ranging implications.
"A failed Afghan state is a disaster," Hosseini said. "Certainly it's a disaster for the people of Afghanistan. It would be a catastrophe for the region and by consequence to the west."
Hosseini's latest book, "A Thousand Splendid Suns," which was released earlier this year, is already a bestseller. His first book "The Kite Runner," about an Afghan boy and his friendship with a servant's son will be released as a movie in November.
