Though there have been hopes and promises of peace and tranquility in Afghanistan, the signs do not seem evident. On the contrary there have been incidents that show dangerous sings of the worsening of the situation. And the incident on Friday, Aug 30, in a mosque in northern Kunduz province, crossed all the limits. The incident was really dreadful and inhumane and targeted many people including Dashte Archi district’s administrative head Sheikh Sadruddin, his guards and civilians. Sadruddin was appointed as district chief about five years ago. Previously he had survived different insurgent assaults, including roadside bombings. According to the news reports 20 people have been killed and around 30 have been severely wounded.
Col. Abdullah, the deputy police chief for Kunduz, according to the news reports, said that the bomber struck at 8.30am when a number of people were attending a condolence ceremony for a tribal elder, who died a day earlier. Without giving a specific figure, he said a large number of people were among the fatalities. A police delegation has been dispatched to the district to investigate the incident. He feared the death toll could increase.
One of the most disappointing facts about the incident is that it took place at a mosque, which is considered very sacred by Muslims. If the attacker belongs to Taliban, it would further debilitate their reputation among the people. It clearly shows that the insurgents have no respect for the Mosques and other religious places; all they care about is to show their dominancy through such attacks.
Another misfortunate fact about the attack is that it involves the death of many innocent civilians as well. This has been the dilemma in the war against terrorism that it has not been able to control the death of the innocent civilians though there have been several commitments in this regard both by Taliban insurgents and the Afghan and NATO forces.
The statistical calculations clearly show that Taliban have been mainly responsible for most of the civilian casualties. Civilians have not only been victimized by attacks at the public places but also by roadside bombs that are planted by Taliban insurgents to target the convoys of Afghan and NATO forces.
Afghanistan at present is standing at a very crucial juncture. The socio-political circumstances and security situation are in the process of transition. At this crucial juncture, there are various ambiguities as well that have been influencing Afghan people to a large extent. They are not sure about the future of their country and their own selves. The social psychology does seem to be contented and the people are losing their confidence from the control of the government. Such a psychology may prove to be detrimental as people would avoid taking part in constructive activities and would think about escaping the situation instead of facing it with courage and determination.
Moreover, people would start disbelieving in democracy, which is the only hope for the betterment of socio-political circumstances. They do not want that they should be called as democratic country but do not have the basic necessities of life. They want food, cloth, shelter and above all security. And the Afghan political system, without providing those basic needs cannot promise to provide other requirements, which seem nothing more than luxury at this instance.
After the installation of new government in Afghanistan with the support of Western allies, the people of Afghanistan had great hopes of change and improvement in their lives and they have seen certain important developments as well; however, the mentioned circumstances clearly depict that there are fears of losing all those improvements.
All the parties and authorities that can play a role in bringing about positive changes must take initiative and strive to control the situation. The political leaders and religious scholars can play a very important role in this regard. Religious extremism is turning into a menace and misusing the same the religious zealots are not ready to leave the insurgency and violence. The religious scholars must do their best to make the people believe in religious tolerance and do not become the victim of fanatic and extremist religious teachings of the militants.
They have to make it clear to the insurgents that their tactics of suicide bombings and the bombings in public places are totally against Islam and must be shunned immediately. Moreover, they, in their sermons, must teach religious compassion, which is the true essence of Islamic teachings.