The 400-bed hospital in the heart of Kabul doesn’t offer a pleasant sight for those who are weak with heart. The hospital is bustling with wounded soldiers brought from different parts of the country. This hospital now serves the medical needs of soldiers who are wounded in different parts of the country. It is where you realize how much we are paying for keeping the country free of terrorists and many other anti-state elements. This is where our hearts are filled with gratitude for those who sacrifice their best assets of their body parts and organs to provide us with a safe and secure country. As there are not present any well-facilitated hospitals in the provincial cities so soldiers with serious injuries are brought to the hospital and if the treatment is not possible here, they are sent to the foreign countries.

It is a common scene that a number of soldiers expire in this hospital everyday and witnessing such a scene is very painful. Relatives of a deceased soldier try their best to control their emotions but they are also humans. Majority of them feel proud that their son or brother has died in defending his country and he is a martyr, who would always live in the hereafter. Bodies of soldiers are handed to their relatives after wrapping it in flag of the country but if they have to pass through the areas where Taliban can create problem for them, they prefer to cover the body with a plain cloth instead of national flag.

 The story of Afghan National Security Forces is both strange and interesting. It is a reality that joining a squad with so many dangers is like gambling with your own life and thus it is not an easy choice for those who are not courageous enough to risk their lives. Every passing year brings more and more casualties of Afghan security personnel and it is like a miracle that even with this dangerously soaring trend, thousands of young men willingly join the forces or many more are content enough to keep up the good job. 2012 was the worst year in this regard when almost 1200 brave National Army personnel sacrificed their lives while the injuries were manifold. It must not be forgotten that many of them were the only-bread earners of their families and they left behind their bereaved parents, wives and children. This is also the reason that a large number of security personnel quit their jobs and this drop-out is of very much concern for both Afghan authorities and international security forces who are looking forward to leave the country by the end of 2014. Hiring and training a soldier is a lengthy, laborious and expensive process and when a soldiers runs away from the force, it means that the whole procedure will have to be started and completed from the beginning.

Along with the dangers of war, some other reasons are also responsible for the drop-out of soldiers. In these, one is the presence of foreign soldiers on Afghan soil because there are also present large numbers of soldiers in our security forces who believe that presence of foreign forces on Afghan soil is against the sovereignty of the country. The increasing trend of insider attacks in which Afghan forces attack and kill foreign soldier(s) was also due to the same reason. At present, we are confident that our own forces are competent enough to safeguard the country from all the internal and external dangers but it was also a reality that we depended on foreign troops for the security of country and our forces were not able (both in numbers and skills) to control the security of the country. After the withdrawal of foreign forces in 2014, the above problem may come to its logical end.

As far as facilities are concerned, there is a mixed perception. It is said that personnel of National Army get best facilities like food, accommodation, monthly salary and others. When an army soldier is killed in a combat, his family receives all the benefits for his complete service years while one who dies out of the natural reasons, the benefits of his pension are given to his family. They are provided with good quality and hygienic food while monthly salary is also quite reasonable. Before there were rumors that top officials don’t allow the benefits reach the small-ranking soldiers but at present, these problems appear to have been solved. They also have the facility to continue their education while being in service and they are also sent to other countries for training and upgrading the level of their knowledge and professional expertise. Overall, it is very satisfactory that an army is emerging which includes of educated, well-trained and competent soldiers who are also equipped with adequate supply of arms and weapons. Of course, it would take many years before our army is equipped with all the latest weaponry.

When we come to police, the situation appears to be a bit deteriorating. They receive comparatively less salaries and other facilities are also not up to the standards. It is the reason why, we often hear the complaints about incompetence and corruption in police. Increasing trend of corruption in high-ranking officers of police is also a matter of concern which has greatly affected their reputation in general public. It was also said that the relatives of a deceased soldier cannot easily get the pension or other benefits of the soldier because their senior officers demanded their share in it. I am sure it was only a rumor and there was no reality in it.

In almost all the developed countries of the world, people strive hard to join the army, navy or air force of the country because being a member of one of these forces, you get all the facilities, social status and respect and honor of citizens. In such countries, new officers are selected after a lengthy and hard process in which most talented make their way forward. This trend is not present in Afghanistan now but having a look at the growth and progress of national army, we can expect such zeal and enthusiasm in future.

Almost two weeks before, some 40 high ranking police officers were removed from their posts on the charges of corruption and illegal use of their authority. This healthy trend needs to continue so that no one should consider itself above the laws of the country.

It is also worth praising that our government makes no compromise in the army budget and till now, all the demands of Army has been met given that our own resources are very limited and we depend on international community to meet our expenses.

It is said that two members of society play vital role in the progress and safety of it; teachers and policemen. Teachers build the future of the country while policemen make safe the present of the society. As far as citizens are concerned, we should never lose hopes from our security forces and ignoring their shortcomings, we need to reflect and appreciate their positive points.