The Impact of Taliban’s Official News Conference on Afghan Business Community in Pakistan

Abstract

On 15th August 2021, The Taliban took over the control of Kabul. The replacement of Afghan Government by Taliban creates a great curiosity for the business community of the world. Similarly, this creates a panic situation in Afghan business community living across the border in Pakistan, where a major portion of Afghan refugees are residing. To clear the doubts of the Afghan and international community, Taliban held their first official news conference on August 17, 2021. This study intends to examine the impact of the aforementioned news conference on the perception of the Afghan business community living in Pakistan. The data was collected through questionnaire and interviews with the business community living in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. A sample of 259 Afghan businessmen were selected randomly for the purpose. The data was analyzed using SPSS Version 23.0. The results of the study show a paramount change in the perception of the business community. Prior to the news conference, people were scared about their lives and assets. However, they felt ease at re-opening their businesses soon after the news conference.