its proximity to access routes through Uzbekistan, led to something
of a boom, with UN offices and foreign consulates being estab-
lished. Dostam used these to consolidate his autonomy. By collect-
ing customs duties at Hairatan, he established a fiscal basis for his
exercise of power, and employed tax farmers to collect revenue in
towns under his control. He also appointed local administrative
officials: in 1997, I visited a court in Balkh at which a qazi
(judge), appointed by Dostam, was hearing civil cases. None the
less, his administration was not without its problems. Dostam
diverted scarce resources to establishing a palatial lifestyle for
himself, and included some brutally unattractive figures, notably
the Uzbek Rasul Pahlavan, in his administration.
Herat under Ismail Khan was generally well-administered and
reconstruction proceeded apace (Dupaigne, 1993–94). Ismail suc-
cessfully established a monopoly of force, eliminating some mili-
tias and accommodating others. From 20–25 July 1994, he hosted
a large gathering of notables, including President Rabbani, former
Prime Minister Dr Yousuf, and a son of the late King Amanullah
(d’Afghanistan, 1994). The meeting was notable for being Afghan-
organised (in contrast to the gatherings which produced the
Peshawar and Islamabad Accords), but its conclusions, calling for
a new process of political transition (United Nations, 1994a:
Appendix), were soon outdated as the Taliban appeared on the
scene. Only when Ismail overreached himself in September 1995
against the Taliban was his administration finally overthrown.
Herat was at this time still a notably peaceful and stable region,
giving the lie to the Taliban claim that they only sought to promote
peace and stability, but Ismail’s popularity had been weakened by
his use of conscription, at a time when many Heratis felt that cus-
toms revenues could have been used to fund a proper regular force.
THE REAPPEARANCE OF THE UN
In June 1992, Benon Sevan had relinquished his position, and
moved on to other duties in the UN system. A gap then followed in
The Rise and Fall of the Rabbani Government, 1992–1996 209