A glimmer of hope sparkles in the eyes of Afghan people with the approach of upcoming presidential and provincial elections. Democracy and freedom are people’ dream come true. All over, security and human rights are cherished greatly since the past decade. Sadly, these have eluded our society. It is beyond doubt that the Afghan people will take an active part in the election to bring desired basic changes in the new administration.
The charming and mouth-watering empty promises and news conferences will not heal the bleeding nation. The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is in need of a committed leader to give significance to religious values, moral standards and cultural norms. A president is desired, who thinks openly and beyond ethnicity, tribal tension and racial discrimination. In short, someone who decides with an iron determination, to democratize society and devote himself for the country’s betterment and prosperity, deserve to be elected as a president.
In all honesty, our people have experienced the dark days of civil unrest and therefore the candidates’ political backgrounds are highly significant to the nation. Currently, the candidates’ historic or heroic pictures are already in the minds of the voters. Hence, the presidential and provincial candidates had better review their profiles and repair them, if needed, not by word but by sincere action.
The candidates are supposed to carry honestly foreword the backlog of programmes, which will be left by Karzai’s government. The issue of terrorism is one of the government’s legacies to be addressed by the next government. No doubt, the peace process and the issue of terrorism have been the most controversial subjects.
Currently, Afghan people, police and foreign forces lose their lives due to daily suicide attacks and bomb blasts carried out by Taliban insurgents. Violence and bloodshed make news in the national media and the newspapers’ headlines. People suffer grievously from the inhuman acts of terror. Not a day passes without casualties. The security situation has not seen improvement. But has the government adopted any serious strategy to end the militancy and terrorism?
The public feels that the government has compounded the issue by releasing Taliban militants from Bagram prison which have led to strained tension between Afghan government and US forces. Moreover, it aroused mistrust between the government and Afghan people. The government is supposed to find a solution for the militancy not to compound it, in such a sensitive election –year.
Hence, the future president will have to consider all these challenges and should plan fruitful strategies to resolve and address them. We emphasize once more, that selflessness, total commitment and other leadership virtues are expected to run in a leader’s blood; and be seen in the administration in a transparent manner.