The Afghan government has decided to hold another Loya Jirga or what can be called grant assembly of tribal elders from across Afghanistan on the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) with the United States. It has already been reported that the Afghan and US authorities have almost finalized the BSA and is only pending for final approval which will be done after the Loya Jirga. The US secretary of state, John Kerry, visited Kabul a week ago to try to confirm the BSA after Karzai threatened to abandon negotiations. The sides agreed on a text that could be taken to the Loya Jirga for approval, after which it would go before the Afghan parliament.

Loya Jirga is being held at times when representative of the people are present in both houses of the parliament and are tasked to take decision upon important national issues. Also, based on the constitutional law of Afghanistan, the Loya Jirga has no legitimacy in the presence of functioning parliament and senate. Therefore, certain circles have raised finger at this decision of the government. They accuse the government of using the Loya Jirga for political purposes at times when Afghanistan is only months away from the crucial presidential election. More specifically, it is blamed by opposition that President Karzai wants to gain more support for the candidate he will be backing in the election.

Meanwhile, Sibghatullah Mujadidi, the head of Loya Jirga organizing committee has admitted that this will be a useless irga as the participants of the same kind of jirga held in 2011 has already authorized the government to take decisions in the best interest of the country.

The Loya Jirga which will be held next month will bring together 3,000 tribal elders and civil leaders from across the country. To many, it is only a waste of time and money as the people who will participate in the jirga do not have the capacity to evaluate the BSA from technical point of view.

Such traditional Loya Jirgas undermine the credibility of the parliament where elected representatives of the people sit. Meanwhile, the doubts that the ruling elite will make political uses from the jirga hold much weight. It would be wise if the government had kept the lower and upper houses of the parliament in picture about BSA development.