Unfinished road to Peace
By: Muhammad Abbas
After a month of 9/11 terror attack, America and its coalition forces invaded Afghanistan in 2001 by declaring a “war on terror”, when Taliban refused to hand over Osama-Bin-Laden an Al-Qaeda leader and mastermind of the 9/11 attack. The “war on terror” took many precious lives of tens of thousands of Afghan civilians, Taliban fighters and Afghan soldiers including about 2400 American soldiers. Apart from that, many innocent Afghans went to neighboring countries to take refuge after their homes and business being destroyed in the ruthless war.
Moreover, Afghanistan is populated with multi- ethnic and linguistic groups, so, only signing an agreement is enough to bring peace and stability in Afghanistan? Are the Afghan government and Taliban able to settle all their disputes? They (the Afghan government and Taliban) can adopt a culture of “give and take” to bring peace at their homeland? Is there any chart fixed for the evacuation of Afghan refugees from neighboring countries and all over the world?
However, as the Afghan society is deeply rooted in folk culture like; “honor and respect”, and a desire to live by their own “traditions and standards” which are mostly unknown to those Afghans who live for many years in other parts of the world. Similarly, those who never left their soil deeply rooted in tradition of revenge, where the people wash blood with blood. When they all will come together there would be a huge social change within the Afghanistan, and it will be a daunting too for both parties to adjust with each other as the second generation between the “war on terror” have been produced with totally different mentality.
Contrary to that, as it is mentioned before that the Afghan society has deeply rooted in tradition of revenge, so those who have lost their loved ones, and houses of whom had been destroyed in “war on terror” and due Taliban fighters brutalities before the invasion of America. So how they (the sufferers) would be dealt? Why nor American neither Taliban have raised concerns for the people who suffered due to this mess?
Similarly, for some the peace agreement is a victory for America, but for many it is a victory of Taliban, who won this bloody war? history will decide. But, by signing a deal justice did not prevail, those innocent civilians who lost their lives in the name of Islam, peace or whatever, their murderers are still alive, but the souls of the killed ones are roaming the streets, city to city, country to country asking what was our “fault”? They both (the US and Taliban) have hugged each other and shook hands but who will provide justice to us?
Furthermore, the September 28 Afghan presidential election according to Independent Election Commission’s result had won by Dr. Ashraf Ghani, which had later denied by Afghan ex-chief executive Dr. Abdullah Abdullah who was an opponent candidate during the election of the winning president. Such situation within the political horizon of Afghanistan put the war-torn country into danger once again. Before the withdrawal of all-American troops from Afghanistan, if the Taliban will not meet its obligations under the deal, the US will not “hesitate” to “nullify” the deal, according to media as the US Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said in Kabul. But later John Bolton (ex-Assistant to US president for National Security Affairs) in a tweet called the deal an “unacceptable risk” to American civilian population and he mark it a “wrong signal” to ISIS and Al Qaeda terrorists, and to all America’s enemies. All the stakeholders withing Afghanistan need to fully meet its obligations under the deal and bring peace to peace hunger country.
Later on, the Afghan president Dr. Ashraf Ghani rejected the term of releasing 5000 prisoners under the deal, and he marked it as a sovereign state’s decision. Responding to the Afghan president decision Taliban’s spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said “there will be no intra-Afghan talks, if our prisoners do not get released, though, the Taliban ordered its militants to “assume” attacks against Afghan soldiers and police forces until an Islamic system of the government is restored.
Besides that, the Taliban will try to put pressure as much as they can do to bow down the Afghan government to accept Taliban’s conditions on negotiation table, the same tactic they applied in the Doha-accord with Americans. In additions, all stakeholders within and outside Afghanistan need to make serious efforts to finish this long path to peace and to stop more bloodshed in Afghanistan. The Afghan society does not afford more war as it spent its four generations in the search of peace and stability.
(Note: This article has been written a week ago.)
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