Dr. Massouda Jalal, the only female presidential contender in Afghanistan’s presidential elections has warned of regional and global instability due to the ongoing violence in Afghanistan.
In an opinion editorial to Khaama Press, Dr. Jalal said the 40-year long conflict in Afghanistan has sparked unprecedented concerns among the people, government and society amid political, social, economic, cultural and security crisis.
Dr. Jalal further added that the ongoing conflict has also sparked ethnic, religious and political tensions, warning that the instability will not remain limited to the geography of Afghanistan only if the current situation persists.
Furthermore, Dr. Jalal blamed some regional countries for sparking violence in Afghanistan to guarantee their own interests, emphasizing that the outspread of violence in the region and across the globe will become uncontrollable and will inflict massive regional and global casualties and financial losses.
Meanwhile, Dr. Jalal also blamed certain individuals and specific Mafia groups for sparking war and violence in a bid to preserve their wealth and power.
According to Jalal, efforts are underway to spark ethnic clashes as well besides sparking religious tensions, emphasizing that the current conflict has no root with the religious and ethnic tensions.
In other parts of her Op-Ed, Dr. Jalal claimed that certain groups linked in pursuing their personal interests, turned Afghanistan into a State marred with crisis, instability, tensions and conflict with the consultations of certain countries located close to and far from Afghanistan.
Without disclosing the names of the groups and involved countries, Dr. Jalal said the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan has roots with the war on wealth and power as local and international Mafia groups are fighting to preserve their wealth and power in Afghanistan, specifically pointing to cultivation and smuggling of drugs, looting of natural resources and land.
Drugs and illegal mining fueling Afghan war
She also added that the war in Helmand, Zabul, Kandahar, Farah, Shinwar and Badakhshan have direct links with the cultivation of opium as well as unprofessional mining of natural resources, including the extraction of Lapis and Gold in Badakhshan.
Dr. Jalal also added that the conflict in Afghanistan also has direct links to foreign interferences considering the geo-political, geo-strategic and geo-economic situation of the country as well as the water resources of Afghanistan which madly flow out of the country in the absence of a proper administration.
According to Dr. Jalal, the war in Afghanistan is not a conflict among the Afghans but the ongoing conflict has been shaped by rivalries between certain countries including Pakistan, India, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Russia, U.S. and the European Union countries.
Dr. Jalal believes that the peace and stability would be impossible to be maintained in Afghanistan unless the political and armed groups and the government of Afghanistan reach to an agreement and recognize Afghanistan as a sovereign state and stop the flow of resources to warmongers, insisting that the UN Security Council’s role will also be important for peace and stability in Afghanistan.
Emphasizing that the ongoing conflict is not a war among the Afghans, Dr. Jalal said the Afghan people believe that the continuation and end of war in Afghanistan has links with the candid will of the regional and global powers.
According to Dr. Jalal, the ongoing conflict will be further prolonged and a real peace and stability would not return unless the involved parties declare an end to it.
Peace Process, Elections and Role of Women
Furthermore, Dr. Jalal said the women are defending the peace process at a critical time when their concerns have remained unanswered, no international guarantee exists to respect the women’s rights and face ambiguity regarding their participation in political, social, economic, cultural and security arena.
She also added that the Afghan women, forming half of the population of Afghanistan, have concerns regarding the peace talks and its outcome as they believe that no individual or group can represent the women to end their dilemma of deprivation, condemnation and oppression.
Dr. Jalal also added that the Afghan women are closely monitoring the peace and elections process and supports the two processes in a legal manner and in support of the majority of the society, believing that none of the two processes should be sacrificed.
Furthermore, Dr. Jalal said the Afghan women believe that national unity also remains a high priority besides the vital roles of peace and elections.
She also added that the Afghan women believe that extensive participation and fair distribution of power will ensure national unity, peace and stability in Afghanistan, insisting that false participation by nefarious individuals cannot ensure national unity.
In conclusion, Dr. Jalal said peace can be maintained by considering the vital values of national unity, security, fair stability, respect to citizenship rights and human rights, warning that the future government will not remain stable and firm if it did not value the aforementioned values and will lose the support of the people which would not only help with the efforts to maintain peace but will result into a change in conflict methods.
About Dr. Massouda Jalal
Dr. Massouda Jalal is the only female presidential contender who has previously served as the minister of women’s affairs, laid out the national strategy for salvation of women from various forms of injustice and drafted the law eliminating violence against women.
Her activities in the ministry of women’s affairs have been reflected two books “Activities of Ministry of Women’s Affairs” and has been recorded in the history of the country. She also ventured out the establishment of Jalal Foundation in a bid to better serve the Afghan people, specifically the Afghan women. She has also served in various international organizations in tough moments including WFP. She will run as running mate in Security and Justice electoral team in upcoming presidential elections.
