The House of Representatives (Wolesi Jirga) of Afghan National Assembly approved the Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) between Afghanistan and the United States of America, which was signed by President Hamid Karzai and his American counterpart Barack Obama during the latter's overnight trip to Kabul on the occasion of the elapsing of one year after Osama Bin Laden's death.

On Saturday, May 26, 2012, only few MP's opposed the SPA and all the others present MP's voted in approval of it during a public voting conducted during a tense session. Some neighboring countries tried to influence members of Wolesi Jirga to block the endorsement of the SPA but Saturday's session of Wolesi Jirga showed that Afghan MP's like their people have learned to take their national interests into account as they vote on something.

The SPA with the US as well as with several other western countries and India is thought to provide a support for Afghan government and prevent it from collapse after the international forces complete their withdrawal from Afghanistan by 2014.

The SPA's are a sign of long-term cooperation between Afghanistan and its international allies. So the SPA's can serve as deterrence against internal and external threats. The Taliban have been waiting for the full exit of foreign forces from Afghanistan so that they can launch their full-scale campaign for returning to power with the support of their regional sponsors and backers.

A day before the approval of the SPA with the US, President Karzai once again dispelled the concerns raised by some neighboring countries. The President said during a joint press conference with visiting French President Francois Hollande in Kabul that his country had historic religious, cultural and linguistic relations with Iran and Afghanistan had always preferred good ties with the neighboring country.

Afghan people and government believe that this agreement poses no threats to the neighbors. In fact, Afghan people and government have always seen their relations with the neighbors based on cultural, religious and good-neighborly bonds, and have never tried to follow the interests that harm the neighbors. Unfortunately, on the contrary, the some neighboring countries have always tried to achieve their interests through pursuing intrusive destructive policies towards Afghanistan.

Now that parliament has passed the SPA, it has to begin to play an important role in overseeing its implementation as well. President Karzai leaves no stone unturned to make a political use of the SPA for his own vested interest and the interest of his team. The SPA's must be utilized to bring required changes to the lives of Afghan people. It is the parliament that can play a role to make sure that happens and that the contents of SPA's are not diverted towards the interests of the ruling clique or a particular group.