During last few days, bazaars and markets have been so crowded. Visiting the center of Kabul city, it looks that all Kabul residents have come out and are busy with shopping. Though shopkeepers are not complaining about daily earnings saying that previous years they used to make far larger than the amount they earn this year, but they are generally happy about sell-rise during last few weeks. During this time people are not frugal and spend much on cloths, cosmetics, cookies, and decoration of their houses. Traditionally, Afghan families will buy new cloths for each of their family members even if it takes them to borrow money. Some believe that showing frugality in expense during Nawroz festival will guide them to poverty in a year ahead. Nawroz festival is a traditional festival which has deep roots in cultural history of Afghanistan. It started more than a thousand years ago and still widely celebrated despite oppositions from Islamic radicals. People within this geography celebrated the first day of spring celebrated irrespective of religion and ethnicities. Thus, during history different emperors within the sphere which presently include Afghanistan, Iran, part of India and Pakistan, and Tajikistan used to celebrate the festival.

But unfortunately decades-long civil war and Jihad paved the way for proliferation of radical Islamists ideas in the country. Their individuals who openly oppose the festival and brand it plot against Islamic values and festivals. According to them, Nawroz festival was the religious festival of Zoroastrian religion and should not be celebrated. In other words, its celebration spreads the values of Zoroastrian religion and is thus Haram; though they accept that Afghans are not celebrating it as to revive the Zoroastrian religion but merely as cultural festival. Meanwhile, its celebration sparks their antagonism, arguing that there are particular groups who are really following the agenda of reviving the Zoroastrianism against Islam. Their entire illusion is based on conspiracy theory. Indeed these gentlemen related every single incident in the world to invisible hands behind the scene. As one of my teachers in Kabul University who was teaching us about Islam one day told that the Great French Revolution was an ideological war against Islam! This concept found for him from the word “Great”. It is translated as Kabir in Persian and Arabic. He linked Kabir with Akbar which means greater in Arabic and ultimately related it with Allah o Akbar or God is great, the sentence which is the most used one in Islamic rituals. So, when a university Professor links the word of Great to Allah o Akbar, we can simply say what will happen to other humanitarian inheritance, values and culture.

Now similar opposition is made to Nawroz Festival. These gentlemen think there are some out there particularly, may be Israel or its western supporters, to undermine the religious festivals of Muslims through reviving festivals like Nawroz. Hence, Muslims should not fall for their trap and avoid celebrating. This mentality is as cheap and absurd as does not deserve to be responded.

But there is something else that may not allow people to taste fully the sweetness of the festival of their forefathers. That is nothing except election. Both Provincial and Presidential elections will be held on 5th April and Nawroz will be celebrated only days before it, 23rd March. The election is going to be very decisive and people fear about the possible changes that may take place. One question pinches every Afghan’s minds that is, “Will we be witness to transfer of power from one group to another?” If yes, how the ruling group may react and if not what the opposition will do? The question becomes much interesting if it is assessed in the line of ethnicity. The ruling group is not doubt represented by Pashtun who held power over 260 years.  During these years, the power struggle was made only within that particular ethnic group. By any reason, if they felt threat from other ethnicities, they give up the internal rivalry and become united.

However, the ruling team somehow represents all major ethnic groups in the country but President Karzia is a Pashtun which protects the country from any major revolt by the community.

This time again, all presidential candidates are Pashtun except Dr. Abdullah Abdullah who has come also from a Pashtun family but generally represent Tajik community and Abdur Rab Rasoul Sayyaf who is originally Arab but represents Pashtun community. Definitely, the option of Sayyaf is not very probable and he does not have clear chance of victory. But Dr. Abdullah Abdullah has a lot of foreign supporter and by choosing Haji Mohammad Mohaqiq as his second deputy, he is deemed as potential candidate. In the previous presidential election, in 2009, he avoided to go for second round of election due to what he claimed as systematic electoral fraud. This time he again says that his only rival is fraud otherwise he will win the election.

Without assessing his chance, the question is what he will do if he loses again? Or if he wins, will the members of other community remain silent after ruling the country for 260 years? The prospective looks much complicated as the foreign allies hesitate about what would be their action in the case the Afghan society breaks on the lines of community?