In this time of ethnic sensitivity, every group or community has its own leader and hero. With such public mindset, it is almost impossible that there should be a person who should be equally admired and honored by all. Pashtuns have their own leaders and heroes, Tajiks and Hazaras have their own and in the same way, different groups and communities have their own leaders. A leader may be corrupt, may have very low character, may not have refined knowledge and thoughts and maturity needed of a leader but he would be supported and liked by all the members of his group or community simply because he belongs to the same community.

A country can never be without leaders or heads. In our history of last century, we had leaders who ruled people by giving them the dose of ignorance, there were leaders who passed many decades without doing anything to the public, there were leaders who preferred the aims of their foreign masters to that of the nation and country, there were leaders who came to power just to enjoy the authority and luxuries of the throne, there were leaders who dragged the nation into a valley of battle and blood, there were leaders who used the name of religion to meet their objectives and at present, we have leaders who have shown tremendous performance in making surprising property and unbelievable bank accounts inside and outside the country.

But there is present a hero who is equally liked and loved by all and it is no one except Ahmad Shah Massoud whose 12th death anniversary was observed throughout the country. Although so many great qualities are attributed to him but there are few noble qualities on whom all agree and admire. He was a man of character and it is said that strength of character speaks louder than speeches and propagation. Those who spent life with him narrate so many stories about his noble qualities but it is not necessary that these words must have reached the ears of all and it is also not necessary that everyone should have believed them but it was the greatness of his character that so many people in different corners of country praise the greatness of character. A couple of years before, when same day was being observed in the country, a taxi driver in Kandahar said, ‘Do you see the picture of Massoud in my taxi? He was a true Mujahid and an honest man. After him, there remained those who did nothing for the nation and who filled their bellies and it is the reason that we are suffering a lot’.

Due to his bravery and valor, he earned the title of ‘Sher-e-Panjshir’ or ‘the lion of Panjshir’. When Taliban captured almost 90% of the country and no one could resist their storming attacks, Massoud was standing like a stone wall. His strategy and understanding of war was admired even by his enemies and he was the trusted name of victory in the battle field. He was not like other leaders who built the castle of their fame and victory on the dead bodies of soldiers and who fought only by their tongue and not by hand. Such so-called warriors always remained away from battle-field and appeared or disappeared after the war stopped. But it was Massoud who always remained on the front line and who fought more than any other soldier of his side, but he contributed even more by his strategic thinking and unique plans.

In Islam, greatest value and honor of a true Muslim is to fight for the good and then die as a martyr in this good way. No doubt, he was the one who fought to free his country from Soviet occupation and then all those who worked on the guidelines of their foreign masters and he was very lucky to have the brave death of a martyr. Such a unique gift is also bestowed upon the chosen ones only. It is also the reason why, some people say that he lived to do the pure form of Jihad and when so many groups manipulated the name of Jihad and Islam for their hidden ambitions, he died the death of a martyr and did not contaminate his name and character with this pollution.

When the Soviet forces left the country and different armed groups started fighting against each other, many wrongful acts were done on the name of Jihad. These so-called Mujahidin became the signs of fear, cruelty and aggression. They had no way to earn their living except to snatch the property of common public and then this cruelty had no ending. They started plundering the property and respect of others and there were so many stories of looting, killing and rape of common public. But Massoud was one of the few leaders who never contaminated their hands with these sinful acts.

In one of his videos clips, he is shown to be visiting a school and helping others in making and repairing the chairs and desks of students. He was a great supporter of education; both religious and scientific and emphasized a lot for its acquisition. He was forward-thinking than the rest of the leaders of his time and had realized that without education, there can never be any kind of progress among the nations of the world. When we look at the present problems of our country, his ideas appear to be perfect as only education can rid us of the complicated problems.

There are some leaders who adopt the fundamental approach in practicing religion and take it to such extreme limits that people start fearing them and such an approach creates so many problems to them and to their ideologies. On the other hand, there were so many leaders who adopted such a secular strategy and style that it matched neither our religion nor our culture and customs and thus they cut off themselves from the common people. Massoud was the one who spoke in favor of modern democratic practices and at the same time, offered prayers in congregation of common people. He was a common person and lived among them like one of them.

But I am not sure how much it would please the soul of Massoud or help his ideologies that we remember him by waving black flags, pasting his posters on the cars, playing some songs loudly and shouting on roads. Great nations always remember their heroes but they adopt more mature and fruitful ways of doing so. Two days before, I saw a police mobile being parked in front of a shop and loudly played a song praising Massoud. The shopkeeper’s business was greatly disturbed by this but he was not in position to say anything to them. Due to this inappropriate attitude, last year we witnessed a clash between the youngsters of two groups and many people were injured on the spot.

This is a day when his soul can be comforted by recitation of Holy Quran, when meals can be distributed among the poor and needy and the money spent on these posters and flags can be used to support the educational expenses of some of the poor students. Massoud believed in great ideals and mature practices and if we want to remember him truly, we should do something that should not cause trouble to others and also elevate his image in the eyes of others.