Afghanistan’s national hero Roohullah Nikpai, a Hazara athlete, showed the pride of performance in the semifinal of the London Olympics in taekwondo event. He beat his British rival and won the second bronze medal for his war-torn motherland. He won Afghanistan’s first medal at the Beijing Olympics in August 2008. It was indeed a great achievement for an underdeveloped country, like Afghanistan, to succeed in winning a bronze medal. The news of victory, wide spread across the country, followed by warm exchange of congratulating messages.

The highly celebrated victory brought, an everlasting pleasure and joys worth seeing, to the people who have seen bullet riddled bodies of their kith-and-kins instead of books and pens, devastation instead of peace and harmony, explosions and gun fires instead of moral boosting music, disappointment and complexion instead of easiness and solution to their massive problems.

Nevertheless, post victory joyousness reflected a deep sense of national cohesion and integrity among diverse section of society ranging from ruling elite, opposition to common masses. Games and sporting events have always been a source of converting the diversities into uniformity that otherwise must be ensured by developing sustainable democratic political activities, provided that democratic values are enshrined in the social and political aspect of every individual’s life.

Democratic values are ideals, beliefs and guiding principles, the government and its institutions must abide by dealing the affairs of country. Mentioned in the declaration of constitution are these democratic values; Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness and justice. The Declaration tells us that every citizen has these rights and it is the duty of our government to protect those rights.

Understanding, educating and implementing these values enable us to decide the credibility and competence of a government, in binding the diverse section of society as a nation, guaranteeing constitutional safeguard to every citizen. The computational efforts made by government preserving these values are examined below;

There are many parts of Afghanistan like Behsud where people suffer at the hands of oppressors and insurgents, on one hand there is government’s unwillingness to combat them, on the other; ensuring constitutional provisions reign supreme. There are periodic attack of Kuchis (Taliban in-disguise) on Behsud, Dai Mirdad, Tizak and Kajab, posing heavy loss of life, property and mass displacement of people from those areas.

The government showed indifference to deteriorating condition of law and order that endangered the life, honor and property of innocent people and showed reluctance to some extent, putting state’s security apparatus into action over suspension of liberty of people, as if those affected didn’t lie to its dominion. This is in contrary to constitutional provisions, stating that every citizen has the right to live without the fear of injury or being killed by others. It is the primary responsibility of the government to protect the lives and grant safety to its citizens.

The recent arrest and interrogation of Dr. Hussain Yasa, a prominent Afghan journalist and opposition political adviser, by National Directorate of Security (NDS), on flawed allegation that Dr. Yasa denies, explicitly showed planned political victimization of a person who disclosed the heavy corruption, bribery and mismanagement of ruling elites, putting his credibility to question. This act of rivalry and antagonism based on unsound political interest, associated with political and character assassination of opponents, using government apparatus is unlawful and serious threat to national integrity.

There are several international observers and analysts expressing deep concerns on such misery of state. Candace Rondeaux, International Crisis Group’s senior analyst based in Kabul says, “Afghan elections have had a history of foul play.” “Given recent experience during the 2009 and 2010 polls, we can and should anticipate that targeted assassinations, kidnappings and even false arrests will be only a few of the tools employed by political players seeking gain an edge in the race for the presidency in Afghanistan,” she says.

Thomas Rutting, co-director of the Afghanistan Analysts Network in Kabul, says it is giving the Karzai government too much credit to say that it is misusing the security institutions. This is the worst state of affairs, when the right to think, acts, or behaves without any interference from government guaranteed by article 34 of constitution halts on suspicion.

Everyone has the right to pursue happiness as long as it's legal and doesn't endanger the health, safety, and security of our country, and doesn't violate the rights of others. The picture speaks otherwise, in our country where happiness is bought or snatched. The happiness is associated with provision of basic necessities comprising clothing, shelter and food, easy access to fundamental rights and rule of law that are denied to common man; paving a way towards increasing uncertainty, trust deficit; the entities weakening the bond of national integrity. Hence the worse situation furthers the pursuit of happiness.

Another constitutional provision is justice means fairness. Fairness is what we all expect from each other and our leaders. When correcting wrongs or making decisions, we expect justice. We expect everyone to be treated fairly. However, justice is symbolic word, beautiful in speech ugly in practice in our country. Regarding denial of justice by Afghan government, The New York Times reported earlier this year: "Everything seems to be for sale: public offices, access to government services, even a person's freedom."

At a local level, it listed petty bribery, position buying, nepotism, favoritism and clientelism, and the offering and asking for preferential treatment in areas including the law, land disputes and taxation.” Reminding the government of its responsibilities, it must be mentioned that being unbiased, dutiful, sincere and just, by exerting greater influence on subordinates over legitimacy of assigned tasks, is justice ensured and justice granted.

Afghanistan is the land of multi-ethnic and multi-cultural society blended together with equal liberties under the law. The underlying difference, constitutes the basis of their recognition and identity on behalf of which, one must respect the other. The government is responsible for grant of an environment that ascertains the difference, as bond of integration than that of dispute.

The recent act of flawed ethnic prejudices, shown by Science Academy, stated disgusting and uncomforting remarks, outraged Hazara ethnic group. Another blunder committed by the same institution, was the publishing of a controversial “Ethnographic Atlas of Non-Pashtun Ethnic Groups of Afghanistan” where a specific ethnic group is shown greater majority and Hazara and the rest are shown lesser minority. The incident reflected the degree of inclination, that an academic issue was turned into political one. It was huge public demonstration that made government undoing that publication. Repetition of such irrational act may shatter bond of national integrity.

Pointing at a constitutional disruption, inherited flaws, and internal weaknesses, leadership crisis in good faith of the country, should not be equated with character assassination of ruling elites; instead that should be considered a guiding principal for developing a tolerant, stabilized and grown up democratic Afghanistan, where everybody expresses, key concern to his core responsibility.

Leadership is responsible for ensuring the rule of law, easy access to fundamental rights of life, liberty, justice and pursuit of happiness, protection and safety against anti-state actors, significantly the right to exercise religious freedom, develops a deep sense of patriotism, can only put the problems stricken Afghanistan, on the road to glorious and prosperous Afghanistan. If the aforementioned fundamental rights are ensured to every citizen than a personal display of love and devotion to one’s country, its values, and principles, develops, associated with strengthening bond of national integrity and solidarity.