For a country like Afghanistan that is a high importer of goods and services, stability of currency is pivotal to its economy. However, over the last two years, Afghani has been depreciating consistently. Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB), which is the central bank of Afghanistan, has been purchasing local currency to counter the situation.

Nonetheless, Afghani has gone depreciating and with that the prices of basic necessities and other goods and services have been soaring. For common people, prices are jumping high and salaries and wages continue to remain unchanged. More than fifty percent of Afghan population lives below or slightly above the line of poverty and rising prices are doubling their anguish at a time when the harsh winter season has already arrived in Afghanistan.

Reasons for depreciation of Afghani are many but the big one is illegal transfer of United States Dollar (USD) out of Afghanistan. USD is being squeezed out of Afghanistan through certain groups in banking and business sectors and money exchange markets.

DAB Governor, Noorullah Delawari, links the constant depreciation of Afghani to the unlawful capital flight from the country. "There are mostly external factors, including the US sanctions against Iran, the resultant pressure on the Rial and the illicit currency outflows from Afghanistan, behind the fall in the value Afghani," he told a local news agency last week.

Also fear of political and economic collapse after foreign troops' withdrawal has caused a noteworthy number of businessmen and firms to take their capital out of Afghanistan to safer countries like UAE. According Dilawari, fake documents have been used to transfer $3 billion out of Afghanistan. In 2011, according to DAB figures, $800 billion were taken out of Afghanistan through Kabul International Airport only.

That amount is double of the total asset of DAB and also twice the total amount of Afghanistan's last year national budget. DAB has restricted the amount of cash Afghans can carry while travelling abroad to AFS 2 million ($20,000). But the rule has been partially been applied at Kabul Airport while cash continues to flee Afghanistan through provincial airports and land routes.

For Afghan currency to remain stable and controlling the rising prices, illegal transfer of foreign currencies from Afghanistan must be stopped immediately. The gain Afghans are receiving from inflow of foreign funds (which is mainly in foreign currencies) would go from little to nil, if the trend of illegal transfer of Dollar, Pound Sterling and Euro and other foreign currencies from Afghanistan continues.