On Friday October 26, Eid ul Adha was celebrated all over Afghanistan and throughout the Muslim world with full religious and cultural zeal. The message of such Islamic events is peace, reconciliation, brotherhood and elimination of hatred.

These are what Afghanistan needs the most as Afghans have been suffering the worst consequences of war and conflict in the last three decades. Eid al Adha and other Islamic events have great significance for Afghanistan where more than 99 percent of the country stands to be Muslims.

Nonetheless, the Taliban leave no stone unturned to turn every event of happiness into a bloody one. The Taliban continued their activities and launched a number of attacks in different parts of the country turning this Eid in to a tragedy for Afghan families.

While our President Hamid Karzai and other high authorities were offering Eid prayers in highly guarded presidential palace, a suicide bomber targeted civilians who were coming out a mosque in Faryab province after completing Eid prayers. At least forty people were killed and dozens injured. On the same day, five civilian were taken out of a bus and shot dead on Kabul-Kandahar highway. Police found their bodies the next day.

In his Eid message Mr. Karzai, once again, urged the insurgents to lay down their arms, accept the Afghan constitution and be a part of government through democratic ways. Karzai also ordered release of 50 people who were caught by security forces for assisting insurgent in carrying out certain attacks. Nonetheless, the Taliban were quick enough to respond by shedding blood of the innocent people on the very sacred day of Eid.

Afghanistan continues to be growingly caught into insurgency and faces an uncertain future at a time when insurgency is escalating and the NATO forces are set to withdraw by the end of 2014. The war between security forces and insurgents are taking civilians lives at a growing pace. After a decade of US-led counterinsurgency war, people in this country live no secure live.

Some talk of development. But when a common Afghan has to suffer due to the worst security condition, grave poverty and various sorts of other social and economic challenges, then development does not mean much. Development is when people are allowed to celebrate their joys, go to mosques, live, work and travel without fear of losing their lives in the hands of terrorists.