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Afghan Berlin Conference:
Is Money Enough for Bumpy Road Ahead?
Only a home-grown, holistic and practical reconstruction
plan can assure a sustainable, secure, well-developed
and ethnically reconciled Afghanistan.
By:Kanishka Nawabi
Kanawabi@aol.com
The US and European Union Commitment to the Afghans is
the hallmarks of a noble cause for helping humanity and
promoting freedom.
More than two years after Taliban oust from power, the
international community once again regrouped in Berlin
to prop up Afghanistan's frail reconstruction process
and assess its future needs. The international community
pledged 8.2 billion US dollars over three years, 4.4
billion dollars for 2004.
For a country with more than 80% of its population under
the poverty line, Afghan Interim Administration’s (AIA)
Berlin plan addresses insecurity, rebuilding the Afghan
Army and Police Force, tackling rampant drugs
production, curbing the influence of provincial warlords
and ensuring NATO and its Allies long term commitment.
However, the plan fall short of holistic and homegrown
principles; in one end it only outlines a limited number
of national issues and on the other end it lacks
workable strategies to deliver this plan.
Human Resource is the scarce of all commodities at
present day Afghanistan. For delivering such huge
promises, AIA relies heavily on archaic, poorly trained
civil servants, a majority of whom even do not get paid
on regular basis. Afghan officials cautiously hope that
pledged money entrusted directly to AIA, not
non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Afghan officials
are time and again been criticised for lack of
operational capacity to appropriately spend the pledged
money. Even before Tokyo conference in 2002, a group of
Afghan NGOs were invited in Tokyo to develop the
reconstruction and rebuilding plan for Tokyo conference.
But despite these facts, AIA is at ease to criticise
NGOs and other Aid community actors for mismanagement
and fat operational costs.
Two years on after toppling the Taliban regime, basic
services are still in appalling condition. AIA is still
not able to give any significant evidence of spending
the Tokyo pledged fund. Sofar only 13% of population
have access to sanitation and clean drinking water, only
5-6% enjoys the luxury of electricity.
Ethnic division is a bleeding wound for every Afghan.
There is a growing fear that impunity culture adopted by
Mr. Karzai Administration, towards warlords, disloyal
ranks and criminals would rather worsens the situation
and further the mistrust and divide between Afghans.
Previous governments, from the communist regimes
supported by the Soviets to Jihadi collation government
of 1992, fanned the ethnic divide to draw as many
supporters as possible. Lack of religious tolerance in
the past decade even forced whole communities (Hindus,
Jews, Christians) and Afghans of other denominations, to
flee their country.
Issues such as rebuilding the Army, Police force,
national security and warlodism cannot be addressed in
existence of criminal elements in the system. With the
loss of two million countrymen, enduring 800,000
amputees and many victims of forced disappearance, it is
impossible for Afghans to move forward and forget the
past. The daunting memories of last two decades of war
and atrocities still flickers through people’s minds.
They still don't know what will happen to those
murderers who bulldozed their brothers and fathers in
Pullicharkhi Polygons (Communist Regimes wicked Central
Jail), traitors who looted, destroyed houses, raped,
maimed, and killed thousands of innocent people. AIA
needs to develop policies to bring those traitors under
rule of law. Afghans need justice besides roads and
bridges.
AIA Berlin plan also lacks a way out of many present
social problems in the country. Officials are still
afraid to address these important issues. It is not
enough for the Judges and legal system in the country to
issue verdicts banning women from singing on Afghan TV
but they have to put a bit of their effort into rather
more important issues. Each year thousands of children
are being sexually abused either openly or behind closed
door, they are even disgustingly weeded to other men.
Similarly they are being used as sex slaves, transported
across to rich countries, or simply used for their body
organs, for lucrative markets in the west. Hundreds of
women get shot, burned, strangled, stoned, poisoned
every year by the name of Honour and Honour Killing. It
is vicious context of Afghan male who believe that their
women’s actions have dishonoured the family name. Forced
marriages, self-immolations are among tens of other
social problems which AIA hardly paid any serious
attention to in the last two years.
Moving towards democratic values, the Afghan government
should not forget it is International commitments and
abide by International Humanitarian and Human Rights
Laws. It needs to clarify its position on detained
Taliban and Al Qaeda operatives. It is unclear precisely
how long Afghan government intend to hold them or
whether they intend to bring charges against them before
a military court or Tribunal. It is obvious that
majority of these elements committed the most ferocious
atrocities, but legal processes must be sought to bring
the criminals to justice and free the innocents.
It is a cold fact that Afghans put their
blood and the west put their gold to liberate
Afghanistan from Soviet invasion, but it is also a hard
fact that Afghans did not only liberated Afghanistan but
paid an enormous price for the world freedom too, and
they deserve a pay back, now.
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