More than a decade has passed from the fall of Taliban and their dictatorial regime was replaced by a so-called democratic government. Now it is the tail end of second presidential election, however, the challenges are remaining as serious as ever. As a result, Afghan people and Afghan National Army (ANA) are falling victim to terrorism and suicide bombings; Afghanistan is in the list of the most corrupt countries, the graph of violence against women is very high, opium cultivation is threatening the entire world and the economic situation is execrable. Afghan people are in the grip of the same challenges which were rampant across the country a decade ago. Who are responsible for this issue: government or foreign forces?
Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, points the finger at Washington and foreign forces criticizing them severely. Hamid Karzai said in a press conference on Saturday that the way the United States is engaging with Afghanistan is act of a rival than a friend. He disclosed, “The US troops are awarding some of our people with multi-million dollar contracts and some others with bombs.” As usual, he criticized the recent bombing of US troops in Ghorband Valley in which a number of civilians were killed along with Taliban militants. Being challenged by a reporter that the Taliban insurgents who were engaged in Ghorband fighting with Afghan and US troops were released from Bagram prison, Mr. Karzai rebutted tactfully saying that Bagram itself was a “Talib-making factory.” He said, “Bagram [prison] is a place where innocent people are tortured and insulted and made dangerous criminal.”
Concerning signing Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) President Karzai said, “Afghanistan will absolutely not accept or sign anything under pressure.” Then, he compared them directly with colonial Britain in the 19th Century – imposing deals on Afghanistan that ultimately led to war. He added, “We want security for Afghan people after signing security agreement not bombings. If the Americans want to leave, they may do so.”
Afghan President is holding out against signing the security pact, while Afghan people are in favor of signing the BSA which was also agreed by the members of Loya Jirga. As a result, Bamyan people protested last week in support of signing security pact. Moreover, they stated in their manifesto that the withdrawal of foreign forces will lead to insecurity, rise in terrorism, poverty, civil unrest, sectarian violence, etc. In short, the majority of Afghan people are in favor of US presence in Afghanistan.
According to common beliefs, Mr. Karzai is accusing foreign forces to say that he was not responsible for the failure of his government; however, it is all the fault of others. For instance, according to him, he is right for releasing Taliban militants from Bagram prison, for refusing to sign the security pact, for his struggle to have Mullah Bradar, the Taliban second in command, released from Pakistan prison, etc.
It is believed that the so-called democratic government failed to meet the challenges faced by our people. Recently, the Taliban insurgents have multiplied their acts of terror across the country. Every day, our police lose their lives in ambush and suicide bombings carried out by the Taliban insurgents. Afghan people suffer from insecurity and it is a great cause for concern. Therefore, people point the finger at the government.
Gulabuddin Sukhanwar wrote an open letter to Afghan President, Hamid Karzai which was published in Khama Press last week. He stated, “…We called for equal and balanced development for ALL of Afghanistan, as well as the inclusion of all ethnic groups at government level. You showed great insincerity by promising certain reforms aimed at young people, but never actually implementing them. Neither did you keep your promise to ensure the representation of young people in the Government, especially in terms of improving access to education in remote areas. Almost five years have passed, while I don’t regret making a speech in support of your presidential campaign, I am deeply disappointed that you turned your back on us.”
Regarding last period of presidential election whether rigging took place he wrote, “Dear Mr. President, let’s talk about what happened at the 2009 election. To our dismay, fraud and irregularities in the way that votes were collected and counted are sadly what we most remember about that crucial point in our history. If someone – just a man on the street like me – was aware of this fraud, which acted in your favor, then of course you were too. Yet you did nothing to ensure a fair and open democratic voting system. The so-called Independent Election Commission, which you controlled, initially declared you to have received 54% of the vote. Due to irregularities, a recount was made, and your vote was reduced to less than 50%.”
According to popular beliefs, as Mr. Karzai was aware that foreign forces were not helpful to Afghanistan, it would be better to criticize them in the beginning of his presidency or at least at the end of his first period of presidency. Hence, it is too late to disclose that the foreign countries’ financial supports go to the pockets of especial people or the Afghanistan’s security depends on America and Pakistan. The silence of the presidential palace during a decade leads to common mistrust.
Whatever was done and whoever was responsible all past. Now it is time for our officials and the would-be president in the upcoming presidential election to take serious action against the challenges. They should learn from the past experiences and do their best to be remembered by the history and our people positively. Of course, Afghanistan will not progress unless there is a highly committed president and devoted officials. In other words, Afghanistan is in urgent need of a loyal leader in its true meaning to eliminate the critical issues especially terrorism and bring peace and security to our people.