EDITORIAL : THE OUTLOOK, AFGANISTAN

                

 

Kabul, Targeted Once Again

Yesterday's terror raid in Kabul - again in the uniform of Afghan security forces - can be conceived an attack on the hearts and minds of the people of Afghanistan and Karzai's government. It also establishes the fact that Taliban is present everywhere and is potent enough to target key government and foreign offices. The police and army check posts present at every few kilometer – a headache for common people - is insufficient and rather incapable to stop Taliban. People living in capital are panicked and terrified. If such condition prevails in capital city of Afghanistan, one can easily judge what goes on in its other 365 districts. Also, knowing that the Afghan security forces fail to give a full proof security to the capital, one can never be optimist regarding the future defense of the whole country that will soon start falling in their hands.

Kabul is targeted from time to time and therefore the government struggles to keep its forces on high alert. A noteworthy number of people in this city is formed by foreign civilians and army, high ranking government officials and VIPs. All of them work and reside by hiding themselves behind thick security walls and their safety is conceived as the foremost reason for the comparatively tighter security in Kabul. Taliban's infiltration of what government considers tight security in capital makes it clear that it is strong, consistent in its operations and government's calls for talks in the last two years or so have left no positive impact on its evil and deadly objectives.

President Karzai, in his speeches, talks confidently about the progress Afghanistan has made under his leadership. But what is the progress in security? Peace is the main demand of Afghan populace and if that could not be brought in their life - despite military assistance from the world and heaps of financial aids - we can say there has been no development at all.
The regular terror attacks and government's failure to counter them make the future of Afghanistan completely vague. If today no corner of this country is safe, it is far difficult to predict a safe tomorrow for it.

The Kuchi Conflict Take Lives

Once again the Kuchi-conflict has erupted violence in Ghazni province. Armed Kuchis have burnt down 26 villages in Nahur District, killing five innocent people of the area, who have fled to neighboring districts, after the sudden ambush on Friday night by about 150 attackers. There had been reports of Kuchi attacks and clash in Nahur and Malistan districts of Ghazni in recent weeks. But Friday's episode is the start of a peak in this conflict, which occurs every year in summer, and dozens of people are killed in this conflict.

The Government has been finding temporary resolution to the conflict each year, with the promise that the bloodshed won't repeat next time. So far, hundreds of people have been victims of this conflict mainly in Ghazni and Maidan Wardak Province, where Kuchis attack orchards and farmlands of local people each year in summer.
According to local people, they had contacted military officials at the PRT in Ghazni, but they didn't respond to the call for help and intervention to avoid the bloodbath and burning of villages by Kuchi attackers. Local people say they regret having volunteered for the process of disarmament, and they are defenseless today in front of a handful of thugs who loot the houses of people and attack on their lives every year in summer.

Now the people of Nahur District have fled to neighboring villages and districts, but its feared that Kuchi attacks will continue and the conflict might get much deadlier. Five people have been killed on Saturday's attack, and about 46 villages are burnt. Strange is that the police and Afghan National Army were not called for deployment in those districts.
We believe the Government must get serious about the Kuchi-Hazara conflict. Every years dozens die in the dispute between the two groups in Behsud district. This year it has started the episode of bloodshed from Nahur District of Ghazni, and it might expand to other districts. Such incidents can provoke ethnic sentiments and the country can get in fire like a forest in seconds. It will break down the basis of this fragile setup.

The Government must send a high delegation to investigate Saturday's incident. Another high delegation should be set up to find durable resolution to the conflict. The Government must make sure that Kuchis do not continue attacks on districts of Ghazni and Miadan Wardak. Unless there is long-term and durable peace, the Kuchi conflict will continue.

Social Capital Deficit

How society is organized hinges on the presence and absence of social capital, which is defined as social values, networks, and institutions that promote trust and cooperation. Social capital is also defined to be "the strength of relations, the willingness to act on trust." The level of cooperation within a community or society depends on the level of social capital or trust present in that given community or society. Afghanistan has been going through years of war ordeal and continues to suffer from the ongoing conflict, which appears to have no immediate end.

While there are many external causes, it should be said that the social capital deficit has greatly contributed to the ills faced by the country. National identity has not been in place to serve as glue to hold the society together against all the external interferences and conspiracies. The authoritarian rulers have preferred not to cultivate democratic and modern culture. Instead, they have tried to play by the tribal culture with all its vicious characteristics and traits. They have even attempted to maintain the social tension in the society. For example, the rulers have never tried to settle the Nomadic Kuchis that continue to be a cause of tension between the people and create problem for the local population in central parts of the country. It happens while modernizing nomadic culture would be helpful for the Kuchis to emerge out of the primitive way of life, disadvantage, deprivation and hardships of the life. The rulers of the country, by settling them, can ensure their rights to education and other social welfare or decent standard of living.

It is to be said that turnaround in official attitudes and policies could unleash the potential for development and social unity and stability, which will serve as an important factor to strengthen the country against foreign interferences and meddling believed to be the main cause of insecurity and instability in the country. By keeping the social tension alive, the rulers reduce the chance of rule by law. Instead of creating and mobilizing social capital to promote rule of law and overcome the security problems, the rulers have often resorted to strategy of diversion, which can offer no permanent solution to the suffering of Afghan people. The rulers have failed to establish an order based on trust relations.