No matter what happens, no matter who wins the election, will the people come to power? Will the laws and the enforcement of the laws reflect the will of the entire nation as well as the letter and spirit of the Constitution? Will people stop being murdered and discriminated against because of their creed? Will the reign of land, mining and other mafias come to an end? Will the stunting of the growth, slave labor, lack of good education, premature marriage, abused, sexual exploitation and premature death of the country’s children come to an end? How long will we continue to pretend that this is democracy in action?

The war in Afghanistan – preceded by decades of conflict – has had a profound impact on many families. Insurgents’ attacks, complex international governance and enduring poverty have made life in Afghanistan particularly challenging for millions of children. Many families who fled the country in earlier years have gradually returned to Afghanistan, but are greeted with, insecurity and poor infrastructure, including a lack of health-care facilities. UN reported in 2013 that “Afghanistan remains one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a child.” Over a third of Afghans are living in abject poverty, violence is escalating as NATO forces withdraw, and years of international aid had done little to decrease the abuse of women and children. 

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 with effective strategies for the country’s betterment and prosperity, deserve to be elected as a president.

Undoubtedly, there will be many challenges ahead of new government to be addressed with effective strategies. Some of the major challenges which need to be addressed urgently are the issues of terrorism, administrative corruption, narcotic drugs and economic constraints. Of course, these are the issues which have victimized the lives of many Afghan people and no effective strategies or helpful mechanisms were taken to combat them seriously.

So, the Afghan would-be president will be left with the mentioned challenges, besides their commitment, their future agenda should cover all the bases so that they be able to confront the problems successfully.

I would like to conclude with the nice saying of Mahatma Gandhi, “The individual has a soul, but as the State is a soulless machine, it can never be weaned from violence to which it owes its very existence.”