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Three events

September 2014 added an extraordinary chapter in Afghanistan’s political history via three major events that unfolded there. Such events catch less attention in other countries – especially in democratic nations. But it should be noted that these developments have put the Afghan nation on the path of progress.

The most important event has been the peaceful transfer of power to a newly elected president. This occurred as a result of the runoff presidential elections held on June 14 in a peaceful atmosphere.

The second important event was the agreement of national reconciliation between the two rival presidential candidates – Dr Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai and Dr Abdullah Abdullah. They were rival candidates in the runoff elections. However, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah refused to accept the election results in which Dr Ghani was declared as the winner. This created an uncertain situation in Afghanistan thus making the whole election process doubtful.

The situation disappointed the Afghan nation as their efforts were ruined by the personal ego and interests of their leaders. But the United States intervened by exerting pressure on both the candidates to form a coalition government or a government of national unity. It was due to this pressure from Washington that Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah ultimately signed an agreement in this regard.

A mechanism was finalised for the smooth running of government. This agreement was welcomed by some factions of Afghanistan but also condemned by a number of Ashraf Ghani supporters. Both pro- and anti-agreement factions have their arguments. The pro-agreement elements are of the view that Afghanistan is suffering from diverse crises that have fuelled the insurgency and worsened the country’s economy. They think that Afghanistan can’t afford political confrontation among its political forces and that it can result in tensions among the different ethnic groups in the country.

Anti-agreement forces argue that Ghani has been elected by the Afghan nation through free and transparent polls. They think that Ghani is being supported by all ethnic communities of Afghanistan as the two elected vice presidents belonging to Ashraf Ghani’s team are Rashid Dostam and Sarwar Danish who represent the Uzbek and Hazara communities of Afghanistan, respectively. Similarly his strong supporter, Ahamd Zia Masood, the youngest brother of late Ahmad Shah Masood, represents the Tajik community.

Though both views are based on strong arguments, the ground reality reflects that supporters of Ghani are mainly enlightened, moderate, progressive and democratic minded youth and intelligentsia of the country. They allege that Abdullah’s camp represents the old jihadis, conservatives, fundamentalists and short-sighted elements.

Whatever the arguments, a government of national unity has now been formed. This has damaged Ghani’s popularity among his voters to some extent. His voters and supporters are criticising his policy of accommodating political opponents in his government.

The third very important event is the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) between Afghanistan and the United States, which was signed by the two sides in a hurry just one day after the oath-taking of the new president. The then president Hamid Karzai was reluctant to sign the BSA. He left it to the new government to take a decision. The new Afghan leadership opted for it without any hesitation. Perhaps it had no other alternative.

These three events have put Afghanistan on a path towards democracy, prosperity, national integration and political stability. No doubt, reaching the destination is not an easy task. Each and every step must be taken carefully with patience and tolerance as these extraordinary events have also brought extraordinary challenges for the new government, particularly the new president.

This is a tough test of Dr Ghani as an intellectual president. The first challenge is running the government according to the Afghan constitution because the agreement with Abdullah Abdullah created a post of chief executive officer similar to the prime minister. There is no provision in the Afghan constitution for the same. No constitutional amendment has so far been made for this purpose.

According to the constitution, Afghanistan has a presidential form of government. The president alone has the constitutional power to pick and choose members of his cabinet. The ministers are responsible to the president as well as to parliament. However, every minister is required to take vote of confidence from the Wolisi Jirga (lower house) individually. Abdullah Abdullah is bound to do so.

Moreover, the chief executive officer does not exercise his position as a representative of parliament. On the contrary, he has been appointed by the president and will exercise only those powers that are delegated to him by the president. According to the constitution, the president enjoys the powers of the chief executive as well.

The national unity government is based on a political agreement but does not fulfil constitutional requirements. However, this issue can be resolved through an act of parliament subject to the provisions and requirements of the constitution. Otherwise, hurdles will emerge in the smooth working of the government. Trust deficit among the president, members of the cabinet and the chief executive officer may also affect day to day work as well as domestic and foreign affairs of the country.

Perhaps, the leadership could tackle the situation with mutual trust, tolerance and patience by understanding their responsibilities, national interest and the spirit of the agreement between the two leaders.

The BSA between Afghanistan and the US can also have a negative impact on both the domestic and the foreign fronts as well as relations with neighbouring countries. The agreement will definitely add fuel to religious insurgency. The Afghan government must face the situation with courage. It should utilise its resources to improve the law and order situation throughout the country since the Afghan voters have given their mandate to the new leadership.

A weak economy, financial mismanagement and corruption are also prime issues being faced by the nation. The new government must take drastic steps to overcome these challenges. Kabul depends on financial aid and grants from the international community. President Dr Ashraf Ghani, who is proficient in economic and financial matters, is expected to take necessary steps towards economic development and financial discipline. In this connection, the tax collection system needs reforms; the culture of taxpaying is very weak in Afghanistan.

In brief if the new leadership fails to deliver according to the expectations of the Afghan people, it will lose its popularity thus pushing the country towards further uncertainty.

The writer is ex-head of News and Current Affairs Channel, Radio Pakistan.

Email: liaqatseemab@gmail.com

Liaqat Seemab, "Three events," The News. 2014-10-06.
Keywords: Political science , Political issues , Political history , Political system , Political parties , Political leaders , Political forces , Political stability , Democracy , Politicians , Politics , Constitutions-Pakistan , Leadership , Corruption , Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai , Abdullah Abdullah , Afghanistan , United States , BSA