The Dragon enters!

(Episode 2 of The Enemies at the Gates!)

There is not a single day when the frontal battle, suicide attacks or school burnings by Taliban are not reported by the media; meanwhile still strong efforts are made to bring the Taliban back onto power.

Karzai and his dominant team; Farooq Wardak, Sebghatullah Mujadadi and etc are anxiously waiting for the day when they would sit at the same table with Mullah Omar, Hekmatyar and other warlord extremists, but what happens to the situation of the people, they don’t care.

The latest surprise of Karzai’s administration for the people was release of Ghairat Baheer by his decree; Hekmatyar’s son- in-law and his spokes person from the prison without any trial or investigation and or any explanation in this regard, which is a sign of Gulbudin Hekmatyar’s return on the political stage of the country.

Who is Hekmatyar?

Although Gulbudin Hekmatyar was the nominated Prime Minister of Mujahedeen Government but because of problems he had with Ahmad Shah Masoud, he ignited the fire of civil war in Kabul in 1992.
Gulbudin Hekmatyar, the leader of Hezb e Islami e Afghanistan (The Islamic Party of Afghanistan) is one of the main initiators of the civil war of 1990s in Kabul, who was not satisfied with the government power sharing among the Jihadi groups after the collapse of communist government in 1991 and then began to launch rockets on Kabul and fight with the other Jihadi parties especially with Shoraye Nezar the party lead by Ahmad Shah Masoud hence thereafter they are called as the warlords or the war criminals.

Photo from COMPASS.com

After the collapse of Mujahedin Government by the Taliban, Hekmatyar strengthened and kept his relations with them and with their Al-Qaeeda Godfathers. By taking the side of Taliban as a supportive element Hekmatyar got popularity among them, although even before appearance of the Taliban, because of being financially supported and spiritually inspired by the Pakistani- Pashtoon extremist religious leaders when most of parts of his life time is spent in Pakistan, he had a pro- Talibanism position and in theory he defended the extremist definitions and interpretations of religion in the society.

Quitting Afghanistan, for a period of time Hekmatyar was living in Iran, under protection of the Islamic Republic of Iran in between 1997 to 2002 and then began living in hidden although most of the time it is said that he is hiding in Pakistan.

After the attack of the USA on the Taliban in 2001, he opposed the new Afghan government and called it a puppet government by the foreigners and announced Jihad against the coalition forces of foreign troops and called them as the foreign invaders, and the same as Al-Qaeeda Leaders, he sent his voice massages through radio stations or his written messages by internet. Thereafter in February 2003 his name was in the watch list of the CIA.

Nowadays, while the offices his party Hezb e Islami are open in different provinces of Afghanistan including the capital, Hekmatyar as the main leader of the party is still disappearing.
Since a few months ago there were rumours regarding the direct contact of Karzai with Hekmatyar for series of negotiations to bring him back into the government, and finally the release of his son- in- law and spokesperson from prison has confirmed the reality of these rumours.

At the same time, while the Taliban and their extremist adherents are free from the pressures of Pakistan government, the Afghan government also follows the same strategy, as if every thing in Kabul is totally dependant on Islamabad; the goals of both administrations seem to be the same, that is providing a space for extremists and fundamentalists in the political arenas of both counties but only the tactics are different. Pakistan signs peace agreement, releases their commanders by dramatic kidnappings shows and Kabul releases them through Peace Strengthening Commission, by ethnic reasons and relationships or by direct presidential decrees.
This way the Taliban have enough time and energy to strengthen themselves day by day in both countries and expand their terrorist operations such as frontal battles, school burnings, suicide attacks and spreading fear in the country. On the other hand, while more than forty countries are involved in peace keeping mission in Afghanistan, recently the NATO commander in Afghanistan has announced that the resources are not enough to fight against the Taliban which is a bit enigmatic for the Afghans and strengthens the moral of the Taliban instead.

Negotiating with Taliban is not only an attempt by Karzai and his team but also the National Front as the biggest opposition of Karzai’s administration also did not deny approaching the Taliban for negotiations.

It confuses the people when for both sides it is very important to rely on Taliban as a power balancing potential in the country; Karzai administration and his oppositions both rely on the Taliban and try to negotiate with them for the next governments elections and no body knows why are the Taliban once again becoming object of attraction for both sides; “Are the people going to face and tolerate a Taliban government for the second time?!” is a fearful question for the people which makes them reluctant and hopeless of a bright future in Afghanistan.

What will happen if the Taliban is going to come on power again?

Considering the extreme definitions and interpretations of the religion by the Taliban, and the contradiction between the life –style of them with the ordinary Afghans, will they match with the standard of a society that the contemporary Afghans expect of?
Will the Afghan people accept impose of the nomadic tribal customs on them by the name of religion?
Will the Afghan people bear beheading or hand cutting of the people by the Taliban?
When the world is going ahead towards progress and development are the Taliban something necessary or needed for the Afghan society?
They are all the questions that Karzai administration has to answer and explain for the nation.

Religious or a totally ethnic war?

Since, Pakistan Intelligence Services had already influenced into Karzai’s administration and into the parliament through Peshawar based Pashtoon Jihadi Leaders, ethnic - tribal leaders of southern and eastern borders of Afghanistan; the results of their influence is more visible day after day when we see, Karzai’s government moves on a parallel path with Pakistan in policies regarding the Taliban, these changes take place when the Pashtoons leaders and Pashtoon Parties in North West Frontier Province of Pakistan got more power than before in the last elections, as well as the Jamiat e Ulama which is actually a Pashtoon lead ethnic, political and religious party and its adherent groups also got remarkable number of seats in the parliament, at once the release of Taliban leaders began in both countries, a cease fire is set up within Pakistan so that the inhabitants of Free Tribal Areas who are mostly Pashtoons would be in peace and the war should be continued only in Afghanistan.

What are the results of Regional Peace Jirga?

Although hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent on a puppet - play game called Regional Peace Jirga, not only nothing useful happened but even also the Taliban’s attacks and threats increased thereafter.

Although the purpose behind that Jirga was the solidarity of the Pashtoons of both sides of the Durand line (Afghan-Pak Borders) but what about the people of both countries who suffer because of them and because of their extremism? What will president Karzai answer to the whole nation in this regard?

The way things go on contemporarily and how Karzai’s administration seems to dance with the music of Pakistani politicians, soon or later a big chaos and may be another ethnic clash is predictable in Afghanistan, and what so ever happen; in any case the innocent people of both sides who are actually forgotten, will be sacrificed in the middle of these political games.

The Godfathers of the Taliban (Part two)

(Written by Basir Begzad)
Translated by Amin Wahidi

Bloger’s note:

When the negotiations of the Karzai administration with the Taliban get hotter day by day, the United Nation’s Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and the delegation of some countries in Afghanistan show interest with this proposition of the Afghan government, while they are not very serious in their mandate regarding eradication of the terrorism in Afghanistan, then it is the responsibility of the committed Afghan intellectuals, writers artists and journalists to introduce the real feature of the Taliban to the world for a better recognition of this extremist group. Especially it is important for the democrat individuals and democratic organizations that help and support the democratization process of Afghanistan to know who they are supporting and or funding through the current government of Afghanistan.

Therefore, feeling responsibility, we are providing the readers with any reliable information regarding the essence, operations, crimes and terrorist activities of Taliban that we find from different sources.

Hence, here we present the second part of the “Godfathers of the Taliban” a serial research article written in Dari (Farsi) by Basir Bigzad the Afghan journalist- writer and researcher in Afghanistan.

Part two:

In the first part of this article, we discussed the historical backgrounds and how, when, by which schools and by who the Talibanism mentality was founded as a political and social movement.

In this part we go through to introduce, the religious, sectarian and political supporters of this movement in Pakistan as the core and the main base of The Taliban.

In this writing, efforts are made to discuss the internal and external roots for the formation and development of fundamentalism in the form of religious extremists with Talibanism mentality.

1) The external root

After the elections of 1993 in Pakistan when the fundamentalist party of Jamiat e Ulama e Pakistan got the power together with People’s Party of Pakistan (Lead by Benazir Bhutto ), the practical path was clear for the rapid growth of the religious extremists in this country.

This happened in Pakistan while in Afghanistan, the growth of non- Pashtoon parties such as, Jamiat e Islami, Hezb e Wahdat e Islami and Jonbishe Melli Islami, affected and endangered the historical sovereignty of the Pashtoons in Afghanistan.

The ministry of interior, the ISI, and Army of Pakistan has felt this danger, thus if they did not do anything to weaken those non Pashtoon Parties, the Pashtoons would lose sovereignty and power for ever in Afghanistan.

This is how three main generals of Pakistan; General Nasrullah Babur, the minister of interior, General Ali Qoli Khan Chief of the ISI and General Abdul Wahid Khan Chief of Staff of the Army of Pakistan have had a secrete agreement to make a new force so that to get the lost sovereignty of the Pashtoons back in Afghanistan as well as a support to the strategy of Pakistan through them in Afghanistan as the fifth province of Pakistan.

Mullah Dadullah a top Taliban commander who was killed in 2007

Although a part of their purpose to make the new born group of Taliban with the spiritual support of Jamiat e Ulama was the reimbursement of power and sovereignty of the Pashtoons in Afghanistan, on the other hand the there were to other main purposes too; to open a market for the low standard products of Pakistan and then to cover the issue of reclamation of Pashtoonistan by Afghanistan; which is critical for both, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The leaders of Jamiat e Ulama, especially Maulana Fazlu Rahman who is a racist, conservative and religious Pashtoon leader, has made most of the efforts for the formation of this gruesome movement for war torn Afghanistan and he took the main responsibility to lead this movement; because on that time, when Maulana Fazlu Rahman was the chairperson of Permanent Committee of International Affairs of the National Assembly of Pakistan during Benazir Bhutto’s government, he could find very strong foreign supporters for Taliban such as, United States of America, Saudi Arabia and other Arabic countries so that to provide military, economic and political support to this group.

Allocating millions of dollars, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, began to fund thousands of religious schools in Pashtoon living areas and among the Afghan refugees to accelerate the promotion of Wahabism mentality among them.

With this harmonic movement, the main moving motors got started to provide logistical supports for the political and military achievement of a fundamentalist group and the base of a tribal government with aggressive mentality and fundamentalist thoughts was put up practically on the ground by these madrasas (religious schools).

Maulana Samey ul Haq

Maulana Samey ul Haq a member of National Assembly of Pakistan and the leader of “Darul Olume Haqania” or “The Haqania Religious School” as a political and religious influential person in Jamiat e Ulama has played a key role to attract the tribes of Free Tribal Areas under the frame of this extremist group; because most of the Taliban leaders had studied religious lessons in his Religious School.

Ahmad Rashid, Pakistani journalist and analyst who has done an interview with Maulana Samey ul Haq in one of his notes quotes what Maulana Samey ul Haq has said; “Before 1991, I did not know Mula Omar, because he has not studied in Pakistan, but the adherents of Mula Omar are all the Taliban or students of Haqania Religious School and they have come to me many times asking what to do.
I have all the time advised them, not to form a party and counseled them to make a Taliban movement (religious students’ movement), because the ISI was trying to arouse the Mujahedin Parties against each other so that to break them into different parts therefore I proposed them to form a Taliban movement, as well as suggested to the ISI to let them conquer Afghanistan.”

This way, the main root of the Taliban movement was sown and grown unexpectedly day after day in the middle of “Students of Dewbandia Religious Schools” who are mainly Pashtoon extremist fundamentalists and have mixed Islam with their tribal customs.

Ahmad Rashid, Pakistani Journalist and author

Again Ahmad Rashid writes in this regard; “these inexperienced youth were like foams on water, riding on the waves of war and launched on the beach of the history. Having no remembrances of the past and knowing nothing about the future; present is the only and every thing for them. These young Taliban (religious students) are rootless, without a pivot and without occupations or in better words; they are the orphans of war and in economic discretion they are deprived of knowledge and without assets”.

All these plans and programs were being made up for Afghanistan beyond borders, while there was a deep socio- political crisis within Kabul in the form of disagreement among the political parties who had marched their military forces against each other, on the other hand lack of a specific program to establish a stable government peacefully was leading the country towards a harder challenge.

The civil war in between, Gulbudeen Hekmatyar and Ahmad Shah Masoud was also an incentive for the new born movement of Taliban and their Pakistani advisors hence the paths were clear for the essence of the Taliban in 1993.

2) The internal basis

Since 1748 or from the kingdom of Ahmad Shah Abdali up to 1992 the power and sovereignty has always been in the hand of the Pashtoons.

That means thereafter the Pashtoonization mentality had progressed in its extremist manner and the idea of excellence of the Pashtoons than the other citizens has become one of the main political essentiality or in better words, as long as Afghanistan exists, the leadership of this country is the right of the Pashtoons.

After the collapse of pro- USSR puppet government of Najeebullah by Mujahedeen, the sovereignty of the Pashtoons faced with a serious challenge, because a non Pashtoon government was formed for the second time in the history of Afghanistan (Rabani- Tajik) and this forced the tribal parties to look for a new leadership to rehabilitate and maintain the sovereignty of the Pashtoon tribes back in this country.

On the other hand, the allies of the Non Pashtoon parties lead by Jamiat e Islami that came newly on power was very fragile. Because these parties were not politically matured therefore the ethnic sovereignty was on again (The Pashtoon sovereignty was replaced by Tajik sovereignty) and that took the country towards destruction.
The non- Pashtoon ethnics could not plot an acceptable formation for Kabul administration.
This way again the suffering history was repeated and the Afghan people who were just released from Pashtoonization sovereignty this time faced with Tajikism sovereignty and ethnic monopoly and a bloody civil war began and the paradox of existence and non existence was repeated.

In June of 1994 some leaders of Jamiat e Islami issued the Fatwa of war against the south while thinking to establish another ethnic monopoly in Afghanistan by conquering the south.

This was revealed when the delegations of Jamiat e Islami Sayed Mohammad Khair Khah in Tehran- Iran and Ibrahim Oresji in Dushanbeh- Tajikistan talked in this regard.

In a meeting with the adherents of Jamiat e Islami in Dushanbeh, Ibrahim Oresji has said that; “south and south west of the country will be conquered soon by the government forces (Shoraye Nezar), from north and from west Ismayel khan, from the east our allies of Nangarhar council will filter the other groups, then will talk with the Hazaras and the Uzbeks too”.

These sayings showed the repeat of another ethnic monopoly and injustice and inequality and discrimination in the country. This time instead of the Pashtoons, the Tajiks would take the power and would repeat the same mistakes of the Pashtoons; that is ignoring all other ethnics of the country and keeping them deprived of their rights and any kind social services.

Kabul, Hazarajaat, north and west of the country become grounds for bloody battles in between the Uzbeks and Ismayel Khan, Ahmad Shah Masoud and the Hazaras and in between the Pashtoons and Ahmad Shah Masoud.

This civil war lasted for three years. Although some of Tajik intellectuals send open letters to Rabani and Masoud asking them to stop the war and not to repeat a historical war crimes again, but these open letters never were taken serious by them.

Some Tajik analysts think the reason of ethnic war in between the Hazaras, Uzbeks and the Tajiks were all because of Abdul Rab Rasoul Sayaf’s advisory who is a Pasthoon extremist leader, they claim that Sayaf always tried to prevent negotiations in between the leaders of these three ethnics.

Giving a hand with Sayaf the Rabani Administration first targeted the Hazaras and did genocide in west of Kabul which will be explained later. And then they continued to fight with the Uzbeks. These wars changed Afghanistan into a panic house and slowly on the party battles changed into an ethnic and racial war.

From one side the ethnic problems and tensions existed while on the other side after the fall of the pro - communist government Jihad and holy war has lost its meaning, value and importance among the fighter parties and this opened the gates of Afghanistan for the Mullahs, Taliban and free tribes of north west of Pakistan as the safeguarding ambassadors of the Afghan people.

The tribes of the south Afghanistan together with the tribes of north Pakistan composed of conservative and moderate Pashtoons with white or black turbans on the heads instead of ties in the neck appeared on the ground by the names of Mullahs and Maulavis under the title of Taliban movement.
Soon they were welcomed in the south and conquered vast areas.

Ahmad Rashid again writes in this regard; “after handling the power in their hand, the Mujahedeen commanders forced the people out of their houses and farms, grabbed their houses and farms and distributed them among their soldiers and gun men, even they have kidnapped and raped the teenage boys and girls. This situation changed the idea of the conservative Afghan people about the Mujahedeen thus they welcomed the Taliban warmly as the liberating angels not knowing their real essence and goals”.


To be continued…..

Why Canadian Foreign Minister resigns?!

Blogger’s note: It is an interesting news and especially important for Afghanistan because Canada is one of the countries involved in the reconstruction of Afghanistan and the documents were related to Afghanistan.

The Canadian Foreign Minister Maxime Bernier, resigns after forgetting some classified and important documents of NATO Summit in Romania about Afghanistan in April this year, in his ex girlfriend’s house. It is interesting from two aspects; One, how carelessly the issues of Afghanistan is dealt with, like a worthless time pass; documents are not important to be kept safe and after one month it reveals that this mistake is made, that is why the progress in Afghanistan is not taking place the way it should be, therefore it seems that the countries of international community involved in Afghanistan are not serious in their mission and do not care about the progress of Afghanistan.



Two, taking responsibility and acceptance of mistakes is good and when someone makes a mistake, some how apologies to compensate it, this way the minister apologized for his mistake, which just needs a conscience and courage to do it.



If in countries like Afghanistan, this conscience and courage exists among the governmental officials and if they accept their mistakes and some how compensate them, every thing will be fine and the country will move forward in a better way.


Toronto: The Canadian foreign minister who resigned this week for a security breach had left classified documents about a NATO summit at the home of his ex-girlfriend, the government said Tuesday
But Prime Minister Stephen Harper said it appeared that no confidential information had gotten out.
The foreign minister, Maxime Bernier, resigned Monday after leaving the documents at the home of Julie Couillard, who has generated controversy for past ties to members of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang. Harper called Bernier's security breach a "serious error."
Conservative lawmaker Peter Van Loan said Tuesday that the documents were a mix of classified and public documents relating to the April NATO summit in Romania where Canada sought reinforcements for troops in Afghanistan.
"Thus far we have no information that would suggest that any secrets have been revealed," Harper said in Paris. He said the incident would be reviewed.
Bernier wrote in his letter of resignation that he learned Sunday night that he had left behind classified documents at a private residence.
"Prime Minister, the security breach that occurred was my fault and my fault alone and I take full responsibility for my actions," Bernier wrote.
Couillard said she contacted a lawyer five weeks after he left the documents at her home in April. Couillard's lawyer returned them to the government on Sunday.
In an interview broadcast Monday, she denied ever reading the documents, saying "it was definitely not for my eyes."
"I was panicked by the fact that I had that at my house," Couillard said.
Opposition parties demanded that the government explain how it took them five weeks to realize the classified documents were missing. Opposition Liberal Leader Stephane Dion said Harper showed "appalling lack of judgment" for dismissing security concerns over Bernier's involvement with a woman with past ties to gang members, and called for a public inquiry.
But Harper said that Bernier's resignation has put an end to the matter.
"As we've said, private lives are private lives and the government of Canada does not intend to get into the business of investigating private citizens," Harper said. "This has nothing to do with Madame Couillard. This was the unfortunate error, the unfortunate actions of the minister that are at issue here."
Bernier first drew the attention of Canadians when he appeared at his swearing-in ceremony in August with the provocatively dressed Couillard on his arm. Her former links to Hells Angels did not become public until recently.
Harper said Monday that David Emerson, the international trade minister, will take over as interim foreign minister. ( from International Herald Tribune)

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Kambakhsh, his trial and the jurors

Afghan Judges and jury members!



Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Afghanistan Abdul Salam Azimi

Just once watch 12 before making an important decision!



Because,

It is a good film to be watched once by the judges of judicial branch

While international efforts are made for the immediate release of Parwiz Kambakhsh without any trial, he is still in the prison waiting for the days of trial.

He was not feeling well the last time he appeared in the court, so he asked for a week of time so he gets better.

“It is a matter of my life” said Parwiz, “so I have to be fine to defend myself”.
In this case, in a few days, Parwiz Kambakhsh is going to be heard again in the appeal court to defend his case as he has appealed for.


Parwiz Kambakhsh facing death sentence accused of blasphemy, in appeal court

He appeared in the court with handcuffs which should not have happened for a journalist though, but it is Afghanistan; Criminals are rewarded and innocents, the enlightened and intellectuals are tortured and suffered.

A few days ago, the judicial branch announced that Parwiz Kambakhsh will be released provided that he apologizes before the media, for what he is accused of, while this request of the judicial branch of Afghanistan is an obvious attack and censorship against freedom of speech in Afghanistan.

When I heard of Parwiz Kambakhsh request for a week time until he gets better, I just thought of writing a short message to the Afghan Judges and Juries, to be very careful, to be very sensitive, to be accurate and then to be real human beings when making any important decisions that is the decision of some one’s life and death.

Therefore, I would recommend them to watch a film which might be interesting for them and help them how to make decisions on such sensitive cases, so within these days when they have time, they should at least watch once this film, although it is a film from a country which they think have been their biggest enemy in the past decades; a film from Russia.


12 (2007) by Nikita Mikhalkov

Of course, I am talking about 12 a film from Russia, directed by Nikita Mikhalkov, that I watched in the 64th International Venice Film Festival last year.
Nikita Mikhalkov is the director who received career award and was honored for the "ensemble of his work", after the closing ceremony of the 64th Venice International Film Festival on 08 September 2007.



Nikita Mikhalkov, kissing his career award recieved at 64th International Venice Film Festival


I think watching a film just for once may not give a person enough tips and thoughts to write a critic on it, therefore I am not writing a critic but just shortly introduce the film to the Afghan judges and juries who want to decide on Parwiz Kambakhsh’s case, although, the case in the film is quite different from Kambakhsh’s case, but the main thing how a person is trialed and based on what facts and evidences the final decision is made in a court.

Although this film is said to be a newer copy of old “Twelve hungry men” 1957 directed by Sidney Lumet but it is still strong enough to have its viewers.

First I like the theme of this film, the trial of a Chechen boy accused of murdering his Russian stepfather. Although there are just a few locations in this film, and most of the parts of the film were shot indoor inside a gymnasium of a school building where the decision is being made, by a group of 12 jurors to judge and make the final decision about the Chechen Boy, but still the film is so attractive that catches the attention of the viewers in every single moment. The outdoor scenes are limited, in the beginning, and then when there are flashbacks of the story. Such stories with limited locations and a tender theme can be very difficult for the directors to make it successfully but Nikita Mikhalkov has done is wonderfully while he himself had a role in it too.

Apart from the strength of the director, for using the artistic creativity in lighting, symbolism, accurate casting and marvelous acting of actors to create an atmosphere of suspense and attraction, the viewers are not for once but for many times being tricked by the director when they see the vice versa of what they predict what is to happen next, and this way, the film spikes the viewers to sit and watch it to the end without knowing how it passed.

In theory, sitting of a group of jurors in a single room or a hall discussing about a matter like to decide about an accused prisoner, seem to be very boring while in this film, the atmosphere created is not boring at all which is the strength of the director.

The twelve jurors making decision about the Chechen boy are with different backgrounds; a hesitant TV producer, a flamboyant musician, a racist taxi-driver, a suspicious doctor, a Holocaust survivor, a cemetery manager and some others. Once all of them decide to vote against the boy after a long discussion accept one, so the film seem to go to towards to acme, and this one person remaining alone can not vote against, because his logic, his reasons and evidences are not enough to vote against that boy and more important is matter of the life of a human being!

There was a strong sense of humanity visible along the film; the result of the discussions many times turns against the accused prisoner, but again comes back for his favor and this way, all reasoning, defending and discussions are indeed the story telling of the pasts and experiences of each of the jury members but still important points of the director are;
“One negative vote is also a vote and a voice and sometimes can bring a change”, or “Let’s not ignore but consider any possibilities and probabilities that can effect our decisions especially when we make an important decision”, and “it worth to take time, do enough research, make it sure from different aspects, consider any possibilities and evidences when we make decision about life or death sentence of a human being”, and the director has been successful to deliver his messages through his film.



I hope the Afghan judges and jury members would hear my voice and once watch this film before making any decisions about Parwiz Kambakhsh, because it is a matter of innocence and guiltiness, it is a matter of life and death of an intellectual human being, who he has done nothing wrong accept being curious to know more and increase his knowledge, is it a crime?!

Click here to know more about Parwiz Kambakhsh'sUpdates

“Jihad continues in Afghanistan”: Baitullah Mahsud

“Jihad continues in Afghanistan” is announced to the media by Baitullah Mahsood, the Taliban leader and top commander in Pakistan.

This decision is taking place by Pakistani Taliban leader after the new government of Pakistan has adopted a cease fire and signed a peace agreement with the Taliban in Free Tribal Areas in the North West Province of Sarhad.

The Taliban agreed to sign this agreement provided that their Jihad would still continue on in Afghanistan without any disturbance by the Pakistani Government which is accepted by the government of Pakistan.

Since they have again obtained their legitimacy and license of terrorist activities by the government of Pakistan, they are going to be well-organized and more concentrated than before, but this time only in one specific front that is Afghanistan.

And it means since they are not involved internally with the government of Pakistan, they can spend all their energy and logistical funds for the Jihad in Afghanistan which is killing, destruction of the innocent civilians by bomb blasts and sabotage of reconstruction process in Afghanistan which is one of desires of Pakistan.
The definition of what is Jihad in their understandings can be written in a separate piece of writing, but in this writing more important is the role of Pakistan as a country that always pretends to be committed to the global anti- terror campaign of the international community while has always been growing, supporting and then exporting the Taliban terrorists into countries of the region especially to Afghanistan and Kashmir of India.

After singing this agreement with the Taliban, apparently it looks as if Pakistan is compel to throw the snows of its roofs on Afghanistan but in indeed the Taliban have the role of a reserved militia force for Pakistan to send them for the accession of crisis in which ever part they want. This can be seen very clearly, when Baitullah Mahsood says to the media that; “we do not have any fight with Pakistan anymore, Pakistan is an Islamic Country and our fight is harmful for it, but we will continue our Jihad in Afghanistan which is an invaded country and Jihad does not have a border.”

Baitullah Mahsud top Taliban leader and commander in Pakistan

A big questions mark can be put here; why these Pakistani Taliban do not begin their Jihad from within Pakistan, where there is a lot of corruption, bribery, crimes, prostitution, human trafficking, and many more issues which do not match with their living styles? Perhaps, they lose their logistical supports or they are not given permission by Pakistani authorities for that Jihad.

The negative result of Pakistan’s agreement with the Taliban is seen obviously in Afghanistan as the number of suicide attacks and bomb blasting has increased especially in the eastern and southern provinces and the civilian spokesperson of NATO has also announced NOTO’s concern on this agreement explaining that this agreement of Pakistan with the Taliban so far has left negative effects on the security situation of Afghanistan.

It is to say that, this is the third and the most dangerous political pressure of Pakistan on Afghanistan in the recent months.

First, the issue of deportation of the refuges has already created a lot of problems for the government of Afghanistan, then the ban of food imports to Afghanistan from Pakistan caused a rapid raise of food costs as a result many poor people died of hunger and starvation in Afghanistan and then signing peace agreement with the Taliban brings more instability for Afghanistan.

As far as the global war against the terror is not confined to one or some of the countries but to the whole world, Pakistan as a country in the region has the responsibility to respect the international community efforts in Afghanistan to fight and eradicate the roots of terrorism.

While Pakistan has the responsibility to make sure that there are not any terrorist training centers in this country, instead it promotes the terrorist training centers by logistically supporting them, allowing their activities and legitimizing them by agreements and treaties, and then export them to the neighboring countries.

The new elected government of Pakistan that was believed to be better than Musharaf’s military government decreases the hopes for a change in this country and a better situation in the region; in this case, there are some serious steps for Afghanistan and the international community to follow to handle the situation.

As a mid - term, or long term plan, Afghanistan has to think of resolving the Durand Line and should have control on the borders with Pakistan, which is one of the main reasons of Taliban issues and export of them from Pakistan, while the international community has to reprimand Pakistan for supporting and exporting the terrorism into the other countries.

As a controlling halter, this chastise could be political and economical bans on Pakistan to disable this country supporting terrorism.

People, starvation, war criminals and justice (Part two)

Will there be justice for the Afghan people?!

Considering the current situation of Afghanistan, it seems too far away until there will be justice for the Afghans to be able to bring the war criminals before the courts.
There is a good saying in Dari (Persian) “who digs pits will one day fall in one of them” and it signifies that bad things and bad intentions due to their negative essence and nature will face with negative results, even to the doers, which signifies the accountability of the nature. While at the same time there is another saying “don’t hit some one’s door with finger, so no one hits your door with fist” and this one also means the accountability but in this one, the optional and arbitrary accountability is emphasized on, or more it means “every action can have a reaction”.
There is a caution in the second saying; “the comparison of finger and fist” is like an alert. The comparison in between “finger and fist” bewares the mind; of accountability of “benefit or loss”, accountability of actions and their reactions or consequences. This alert just awakens the mind; of a reaction, a punishment, an accountability and equality or inequality. And this reminder creates precautions before every action the minds think of.

It is also a rule of the nature that every action has a reaction; as a result of what we do something is done. And more realistic example when people do good things, the result they see is good, same is if they do bad things, the result they see would be bad, but when this rule in the hands of human beings, it is violated and not followed as it is set naturally, on the other hand at the same time, it is possible and again in the hand of human beings to balance it back “optional like the second saying”.
To balance such contravenes, phenomena like penalty and punishment are used just to normalize the rule of “do good, see good” as well as “every action has a reaction” or “finger and fist”.
Punishment in itself may be an abhorrent action since it is correlated with fear and negativity but this fear and negativity is used to bring positivism then it is reasonable, accepted and recommended when it is used for purposes like bringing social security through balance, justice and equality to maintain and secure human life in groups.

The purpose of bringing these two sayings here is to study the patterns of Afghan people’s opinions, understandings and reactions regarding the punishment or forgiveness of war criminals in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan is a country where like the first saying many pits are dug in different times but most of the pit diggers have enjoyed using those pits against the people without falling in them themselves due to different causes.

It is important to know the willingness and the ability of the Afghan people too regarding what they would do with the war criminals as well as the possibilities of what could be done in this regard.

Photo from COPASS.COM

Any thing the Afghans are willing to do or think of doing in this regard is very much related to their beliefs, their way of thinking about things and finally their ability to take any actions considering their living conditions.

In Afghanistan, unfortunately there have been thousands of cases of human rights violations, tyrannies and injustice in a period of thirty years by different regimes; the communists and socialists, Islamists like the Mujahedeen warlords and extremist Islamists like Taliban that have left hundreds of thousands of victims behind, who still can not talk about their rights and about what happened to them and who are responsible for it because of problems they face.
It again depends on how we define crimes and war. Although there are specific NGOs who write and use slogans against some of the war criminals (especially the war criminals of civil war), but in action they themselves are not better than those warlords and war criminals. The war criminals looted the people’s wealth by the power of gun but these NGOs loot the money they receive for the poor Afghan women, children, the widows, the orphans, the illiterate and etc.
Perhaps if we can not give title of war criminals to them, but we can still call them criminals since they have hands in very big embezzlements of public wealth.

On the other hands, at the same time, not only the warlords of Mujahedeen but the Taliban should also be at the top of the list of war criminals, also the people who committed crimes against humanity during the communist regimes, but in this regard there are many different opinions, but more important is to rehabilitate the living condition of the people and let them decide how to categorize the war criminals and what to do with them.
There are many reasons that the people especially who are victims or the reminders of the civil war victims in Afghanistan do not talk about trial or punishment of the warlords and the war criminals.

Poverty and lack of stable economy

Poverty and lack of a stable economy can keep people just busy in their daily lives and confines their vision only in their day and night livelihood and they do not have time, energy and thoughts about what to do with the war criminals and even when they have any thoughts about it, they do not have time to follow up, and then they do not have any access to the officials or courts, and then there are not courts in the country without a warlord or war criminals, in this case who should they refer to?.

The current situation in Afghanistan is a clear example of this reason. The global raise of cost of food has had a negative impact on the living conditions of many poor Afghans. In this regard the government has a responsibility to provide cheaper food for the people, but instead the current government takes advantages of this situation and by keeping people in starvation, for its political benefits before the elections approach and does not make enough efforts to solve this problem.

Nowadays, some can find something to eat and most can not have even only bread to eat. People are dying of hunger and starvation therefore; some people sell their family members for the survival of the rest, some attempt to kill their family members when they can not feed them because of lack of food, work and money to buy food. In this situation how can someone think of what to do with the war criminals?

Photo from COPASS.COM

The continuous ruling of war criminals on people

The Mujahedeen war criminals are still on power in different governmental departments and branches.
The reasons how they are still on power; we can say, because of the system existed in the country, lack of sovereignty of the national government in the country let any warlord rule on specific area with the power of gun and hiring some gun men.
This is also possible based on tribal, ethnic and regional basis and gave a chance to as many people who were very aggressive, tyrant and risky enough to hire more gunmen and rule on the others. The bigger warlords can rule on the people through the governmental power, whether by occupying a seat in the parliament, or in any other position in a governmental department in the capital or in the major cities and in provinces on the other hand, because the central government does not have a full control in all over the country yet, therefore the warlords still have their gun men in different areas especially in the villages and the people fear from them and can not tell anything about them where they even can get money from the people.

The continuous influences of the mullahs on the society

As an Islamic state, the people in Afghanistan are strictly religious and the mullahs are taking the biggest advantages of people’s faith, sensations and beliefs, thus most of the time people are being misused for their faith and sensation by mullahs by the name of Islam.
Mullahs can bring any change in religious issues for their own benefits and can sell “Hadises”, concoct any rule and regulation for the safety of their positions and power.
Most of these civil war criminals, are whether a senior or junior mullah and when ever there is talk on war criminals, war crimes, human rights, justice, equality and humanitarian laws, they tell the people that all these issues are produced by the western countries and are plots against Islam and religion; while people are not educated and enlightened enough to know the reality, they believe easily what the mullahs say although they are suffered by these mullahs.
That’s how the kingdom of these mullahs is still stable in the rural areas of the country.

Illiteracy and low level of education

Afghanistan is a country with a large number of illiterate people therefore illiteracy effects on the economy, productivity and then on the level of living condition. Illiteracy in addition to be one of the main causes of poverty, could be one of the reasons for why the people easily tend to believe in superstitions and religious figures can easily find a place for themselves among the people. This level of education of people is something proportional with the loss of positions of the mullahs in the society, meaning that as educated the people are, that harder it is for the mullahs to have place among the people. That is why different efforts are made by the mullahs to stop people getting enough education by any approaches.

Lack of knowledge about the laws, judicial procedures and existence of corruptions in the courts

When there is poverty and general illiteracy of course naturally the people to do not have knowledge to understand their rights and what could be done if their rights are violated.
The laws are no more than just written pieces of paper because they are not practiced and are not introduced well to people, in this case the people never know that according to the laws they have certain rights and when those rights are violated they can knock the doors of courts and get their rights back.
Some of the people who even knew about these procedures, they did not have good experience with the judicial system of the country. According to people’s experiences there has never been time when these judicial branch has done its work properly thus people never tend to rely on this branch; bribery, judgment based on personal relationships and influences on this branch has reduced the quality of it operation.

Religiously beliefs in punishment of tyrants by God

In addition to poverty and illiteracy also religiously believing that punishment of the tyrants has to be done or is done by God, made most Afghan people reluctant first to think and then talk about the trial of the war criminals in this country.
Most of the religious people, have this opinion that the judgement is done by God and human beings are weak to have a proper judgement on other human beings and this opinion is polished and strengthened by mullahs who are mostly the war criminals.

People, starvation, war criminals and justice (Part one)

photo: bbcpersian.com

The enlightening books like “War Crimes” are very useful for the people if pressures and starvation let them.

Lately an Afghan cultural NGO has published Dari and Pashto versions of a book titled “War Crimes” that is written in English by foreign writers.
In this book, which is said to be for the purpose of enlightening the people of Afghanistan about war crimes, war criminals and what could be done with them according to international laws, the writers have brought examples of war crimes in the other countries, and then examples of Afghanistan itself.

Although such books can be counted a remarkable effort, but in reality there are many challenges and problems for the people to be able to bring the war criminals before the court of justice. One of the challenges is lack of a real democracy in which the government will be by the people for the people, in which the people feel themselves a part of the government and their voice would really be reflected in that government and would be heard by the officials.
Unfortunately so far any regimes have come on power in Afghanistan whether supported by east or by the west has not been really democratic while they have only talking of democracy which is not seen in the practical lives of the people or seen for a short period and then disappeared again.

The relative democratic environment in Afghanistan that was created by the efforts of international community after the collapse of Taliban regime, first seemed to be good enough at least for the period when people had suffered a five years of hardest pressures by the most extremist regime of the world; Taliban. And now this relative democratic environment is going to be more limited day by day.
Before the victory of Mujahedeen warlords, the pressures and dictatorship of the pro communist and socialist regimes had already cleared path for he Mujaheen warlords to come on power and then their inability to govern the country had left chances for the fundamentalist group of the Taliban.

Having specific and confined definitions and interpretations of Islamic rules the extremist regime of Taliban enforced many pressures on the people in different affairs of their lives which already born the need for a real free and democratic environment for the people, where the people would live as human beings; as humans in the twenty first century, free, bright and happy. Along with attacks on WTC twin towers by Al-Qaeda and decision if international community to eradicate the extremist regime of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the Afghans were hopeful to begin a real democratic era thereafter, and now after seven years this is the result.

In the new era, up to the current time, first the people were given voice but when they shout their voices whether they are not heard or they are shut up or suffocated which could be a kind of dictatorship, a bit modern, imposed by the current government of Afghanistan. This may be named a disappearing dictatorship under the title of democracy and brings the fears of appearing dictatorships of two to three decades back.

The difference between this kind of dictatorship and apparent dictatorship is that; in direct dictatorship they kill the people directly and apparently but in this dictatorship they “cut heads with cotton” and people in the grassroots do not see it while still feel and suffer it.
Interfering in the affairs of daily lives of people, raising the costs of food, keep people always in need and then shut up any voice come out of them are all clear examples of the current situation which is going to be believed a kind of indirect dictatorship by the existing government of Afghanistan when no significant efforts are not seen to be done to resolve the problems of the people; while it is obvious that the Taliban and the warlords are the enemies of the people of Afghanistan but both groups are given chances by the Afghan government. Warlords have entered in the systems of the government since the collapse of Taliban in 2001 while Taliban are also brought inside slowly on in different periods. They are easily forgiven, given rewards and compensations for the crimes they have committed against the people. Knowing all these, many times the current Afghan government has attempted to have negotiations with the Taliban who are in direct battle among them, which indeed showed the weakness of the government and encouraged the Taliban to strengthen them.

There are some NGOs supported with a lot of funds by foreign donors and sponsors for the purpose of educating the Afghan people about such issues, but unfortunately they do not function very well; they just rely on the slogans and abusing or blackguarding only a group of the warlords of civil war. They blame the war crimes of the civil war for looting the assistances of the people, while they themselves misuses a lot of the funds they receive from their foreign donors without any clear accountability and transparency.
They do not have clear programs, while there are many practical ways for educating the people about their rights and their living conditions.
While there was only hope of a real change in the lives of people by the civil society organizations, but sometimes, the way they work makes every one hopeless of a change to take place by them.

To be continued….