Don't underestimate Afghans
What you say "small unskilled population" remember it is growing at one of the fastest rates in the world, they are increasing exponentially and emigrating in large numbers, acquiring skills in foreign countries. Go anywhere in the world today and you will find an afghan community, this was not the case 20 years ago. Soon they will be a huge population, I think it is expected to peak at $150 million. That is half as many people as the USA and there will be many highly skilled and educated among them. Afgahns are not stupid, they are intelligent and as capable as you or anyone else for that matter.
Afghanistan is indeed rich in natural resources, in fact 1 trillion dollars worth of untapped minerals lie underground. If they can only figure out a Way to extract it and use the money for good in their country they will have a higher per capita income than Pakistan. Saudia, a generation ago had nothing but oil under their sand, today they have one of the highest per capita incomes in the world. No reason why Afghanistan cannot follow in the same footsteps. But right now unfortunately it does not look like afghans will be given the opportunity to benefit from their own minerals the way Saudia did.
Without getting emotional or super patriotic think about what Pakistani leaders commonly say " Afghanistan is our back yard" " necessary for our security". Mushy used to say that every 5 minutes, put yourself in the place of an Afghan, how would you like your country to be just someone else's backyard? Plus this business of playing games and supporting the Taliban, that is a lot of interference. No country will like that,you would not if you were afghan. In fact as a Pakistani, I am sure you resent the little CIA games that US plays in pakistan, how is what you are doing in Afghanistan any different?
There are technological solutions to all the problems you site. Arid land can be made productive with drip irrigation, look at Israel. Landlocked countries can build superhighways to ports. Military can be modernized and trained given the freedom to do so, currently the Afghans are being denied that freedom. Certainly Afghans have historically been great fighters.
Afghanistan can within one generation become a stable and moderately prosperous society if they are given a chance to do so. Unfortunately it does not look like they will be. Can you understand why an afghan would resent that loss?