Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Friday, March 29th, 2024

Afghans Have a Dream

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Afghans Have a Dream

Similar to all nations, Afghans also nurture an ambition for having a peaceful and democratic state. Their dream is to exercise their rights in a civil society void of war and violence. They desire to taste the sweet fruit of democracy. They dream their children be able to live a peaceful life. Afghan men and women pray for having a society where life and liberties are valued and no blood is shed or tears are flowed. An end for the outpouring of grief which results from bloody incidents and atrocious acts is the desire of Afghan nation.
To the unmitigated chagrin of Afghan people, radical elements and colonial powers amalgamated throughout the history to destroy this land and sow the seeds of discord and sectarianism. For instance in the past, the successive kings of Afghans –who were pawns in puppet regimes – practiced upon the policy of “divide and rule” and inflicted heavy human casualties and irreparable loss upon the nation. The cruel rehearsals of dictatorial regimes and fatal civil unrest played the most destructive role in Afghanistan. A thumbnail description about the past regimes will unfold all the barbaric practices of those who ruled under sacred terms – from Abdul Rahman Khan to Mullah Muhammad Omar who both called themselves Amir-ul-Mumineen (the commander of the faithful) but treated people in the worst possible way. The history is shocking for the nation and fill a large number of people with hatred.
With leaving a dark history behind, Afghans dreamt for a peaceful society, particularly following the collapse of the Taliban’s regime. The nation believed that it was the death knell of fundamental ideology and murder of innocent civilians. Democracy, which upheld the rights and dignity of mankind and cherished humanism and civil society, was likely to pave the ground for respecting public rights. With this dream come true, Afghan men and women celebrated democracy through electing their representatives for approving Constitution and participating in provincial and presidential elections. This was deemed as a unique milestone in the country’s history. This superficial view and optimism were really naïve of the nation who did not regard the other side of the coin; i.e., the orchestration of the Taliban’s guerilla fighters.
The bloodshed of the past resurfaced with the Taliban’s terrorist activities shattering the dream and hope of Afghan nation. Being left despondent, a large number of people abandoned the country and many others were beset by sufferings. The continuation of tragic episodes and merciless killings left no room for optimism.
With the escalated militancy, Afghan civilians mainly women and children were changed into sacrificial lambs and the nascent democracy did not take root. After all, on the one hand, militancy started with great force, on the other hand, the “war on terror” involved US-led NATO forces in the issue. The war continued for more than a decade and half but warring factions did not hesitate to keep on fighting. In other words, the war started by Bush administration and lingered up to Trump’s. However, it is worth saying that the US, along with Afghan government, also called warring parties to come to negotiating table which was refused by the militants including the Taliban.
The Taliban were fluctuating whether or not to hold peace talks. A meeting was held between the Taliban and Afghan government on July 07, 2015 near Islamabad, in Murree. But just a day before the second meeting, the revelation of Mullah Omar’s death destroyed the peace process. Neither his first successor nor his second one succumbed to the frequent calls for peace.
Despite the fact that the US military mission ended in 2014 during Obama’s administration and the bulk of US forces withdrew from Afghanistan, Donald Trump has declared to resume military action through sending more troops to the country. This came as Omar’s second successor has intensified attacks in Afghanistan. So, military action will be resumed as a result of the Taliban’s relentless offensives and their repeated refusal to peace talks.
Now there is only little room left for Afghans’ dream for a peaceful society. Warring factions still murder people under sacred terms of jihad and practice against religious tenets. That is to say, their ideology is based on no religious values or moral standards. A large number of political pundits believe that military action will not be a viable solution to the problem but it seems to be the only option versus the persistent attacks of warring parties. The fact is that civilian casualties will continue and the public dream for a society free from violence and bloodshed will hardly ever come true. The public hope is shattered for the end of the protracted war and a sense of disappointment fills the air.

Hujjatullah Zia is the permanent writer of the Daily Outlook Afghanistan. He can be reached at zia_hujjat@yahoo.com

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