Legitimacy, governance, security and access to public services are the main features on the basis of which modern governments and states can be defined and characterized. Afghanistan embarked on the process of state-building after the fall of the Taliban in late 2001. International community has been helping Afghanistan to continue the process and have strong government institutions.

But unfortunately ten years later, the country is still on the list of ten failed states as the Fund for Peace and Foreign Policy Magazine has ranked it the sixth on the index of failed states in the world. This news is really a food for thought. It is not to simply hear and relate that Afghanistan is among the failed states of the world and then continue the life normally.

This news must be appalling for Afghan government in the first place, people and international community that have been backing it because this is not just simple news; it is about the wastage of huge opportunities that were rendered available for Afghanistan to build its state constitution but unfortunately Afghan leadership failed to utilize them.

The news also reveals the ineffectiveness of the kind of political system and power structure that have been put in place. In addition, Afghanistan has been described as one of the most dangerous places in the world due to growing insurgency and Taliban militancy.

So the news once again highlights an obvious fact that the policies pursued by Afghan government and leadership towards the Taliban and other insurgent groups are failing and must be revised if the country wishes not to be on the list of dangerous places. It has been said that Afghan government is pressured by mafia groups as well as insurgents. Since the government is based on corrupt networks, mafias can operate with full impunity as well as penetration into the government agencies.

In order for Afghanistan to wash out these stains from its name, there is a need for fundamental reforms to put a more effective political system and power structure in place so as to respond to the diverse needs of the country as a multi-ethnic nation as well as improve governance, security and provide public services to its citizens.