Last week people from Bamiyan, the city of Buddha, reached Kabul to protest against the inequalities from the side of Afghan government and the international community. The protest took place in front of the building of Afghan Parliament in Kabul. Participants were holding play cards with slogans such as "Stop discrimination." Also, they had brought a big size lantern – a symbol they have used to protest lack of electricity and absence of development projects in Bamiyan - with themselves.
The protest was actually a continuation of a public movement that had begun as early as 2009 in Bamiyan against unjust policies of government and its international backers but was confined to the province only. Last year, Bamiyan gifted a lantern to the Ministry of Energy and Water to draw its attention towards lack of electricity but so far the ministry of has been sleeping like a log turning a deaf year to the legitimate demands of the residents of the province.
It is necessary to mention that Bamiyan is located in the heart of Afghanistan holding a high historical importance because of the centuries old precious statues of Buddhas situated in the province. Over the last decade, it has been the most peaceful area of Afghanistan where people pursue democratic values, focus on education, allow women to participate in social and political life and support government and efforts the international community.
Nonetheless, from the billions of international aids Afghanistan has received, Bamiyan has insignificantly benefited. Meanwhile, provinces such Kandahar and Helmand, despite being highly insecure, have gained more focus and certain development and reconstruction projects have either been completed or are ongoing. It seems like the Buddhas –destructed by Taliban in 2001-, Bamiyan itself has no good fate either.
It is quite amazing the Afghan government spends millions of dollars on the so-called peace reconciliation program, blesses insurgents with monetary rewards and provides them occupation but ignores the grave sufferings the people of Bamiyan are facing due to poverty, lack of electricity, devastated infrastructure and nonexistence of development projects.
The Afghan government must address inequalities towards Bamiyan to show that there is a difference between it and the Taliban government. Meanwhile, the international community has stop flying blind and pay sufficient attention to this province.