Had there been good governance in Afghanistan, the USSR wouldn’t have come here. And had there been public-friendly policies, the civil war wouldn’t have taken place. And had there been rule of law and transparency, America and its tool of hegemony—the NATO, wouldn’t have invaded this part of the world. Since it were the internal rifts, political instability, cultural isolation of the country from the outside world, and corruption that undermined the foundation of this great country, so the need is to overcome these lepers.
As it is a well founded fact that crumbling of a society, fall of a nation and civilization starts from inside which eventually goads foreign elements to invade, which is why Afghanistan’s sprawling and wider frontiers started shrinking when Afghans were mired in a whirl of internal challenges. And these internal challenges are not new rather they have been inherited in legacy since long. Times and again the Afghan nation has dug its grave for itself and now it blames others for its decline, plight and bad days.
The politicos of the country, ruling elite and officialdom have pursued their sheer materialistic ends and objectives while keeping the needs and objectives of the nation on backburner, which is why this country and its dwellers have remained dependent on others especially during the past three decades. This is why NATO on Monday has asked Afghan leaders and officials to put their house in order. The NATO said it immediately a day after foreign donors pledged billions of dollars in aid to the impoverished nation to help fix its fragile economy. Afghanistan has been urged to sustain itself once foreign troops end combat operations in 2014.
Yet it shouldn’t be taken a mere hollow claim that the ruling elite of the country will not budge even an inch rather it will try its last ditch efforts to satiate its greed fully, regardless of the fact whatever may fall on this beleaguered nation. It is because of their shenanigans that an endless war has been foisted upon it, with no end in sight. However, despite that many remained in this country, never preferred to go abroad as refugees, and boldly faced all the odds. They are the real sons of the soil. The nation should feel pride over them. Now that the world community has urged the Afghan politicos to ameliorate their character, put their house in order, end corruption, which is posing more serious threats to the country than the scourge of terrorism. It should be a thought provoking moment for the entire nation that why have we reached this extent and for how long we will remain dependant on foreign stilts.
Speaking to reporters in Kabul, NATO senior civilian representative’s spokesman, Dominic Medley, said the country needed to further strengthen governance and reinforce the values enshrined in its constitution. His words are really congruous, but the matter is who will put this house in order when the president of the country is yelling vociferously against the deep rooted corruption because oftentimes Hamid Karzai has made it public that he has been surrounded by war-lords and corrupt people.
What could be more fatal for this nation than this very fact that sincerity and honesty is missing among those who are sitting in the high echelons of power? And in this critical juncture, and troublesome times, access to justice, efficient and transparent distribution of resources, fight against corruption and militancy, and improved delivery of services should be addressed honesty with a will of dedication and sincerity. Then we can hope for change and end to violence.
Moreover the need is to make the most of the opportunity from Tokyo and many other conferences that are likely to take place as the Tokyo Conference on Sunday pledged $16 billion in civilian aid over the next four years to help Kabul manage its economy.
Now it is up to those who are responsible for running the state affairs that whether they want to change the destiny of the nation conjointly or still opt for clinging to their materialism in order to slake their thirst for power and material gains.
Nevertheless, they should remember this blunt prophesy that if the pledged aid is misused and the dollars which are likely to come into national coffers are transferred back into foreign accounts, the nation will not reach to other side of the tunnel and it will remain stuck in it until another revolution comes in. That will be more destructive and more fatal, for revolution doesn’t deliver the desired results. Therefore the need is to start walking on the path of evolution, bring egalitarianism, and introduce rule of law, good governance, fast response justice system, and above all a culture of accountability otherwise there is no dawn for this country and this troubled nation.
