With the formation of National Unity Government (NUG), Afghan citizens were hoping for a positive change in their lives to occur. Peace, employment and betterment in their lives and improvement in the country’s economy, reforms and fight against terror were what they were hopeful for. But even after four years of NUG, it is noted that not only their dreams are broken but also a worse condition of peace and economic and social life can be observed.
NUG under President Ghani’s leadership with its one-sided policies, illegal interference in ministries and dismissals of ministers, injustice, non-democratic actions, dogmatism, corruption and forceful implementations of state orders over the people of Afghanistan have brought the country into an anarchic situation. Finally, the NUG’s governance have led the dominant figures to form national coalition for social justice and proper political representation. The president’s circle of friends after gaining power, brought differences and contradictions among the people instead of uniting them and working on their welfare. With each passing day, the presidential supremacy leads the situation into worse path and every Afghan citizen’s life is endangered in return. Barbarism has touched the peak and situation is getting bloodier each day. The international terrorist organizations and Taliban are getting more powerful as a result of vacuum created by government weaknesses. Government, instead of countering the terrorists, is fearing from the anti-terrorist figures and monitor them to assure that they do not rise in their stature and undermine the control of the government. For this reason, northern peaceful areas are turned into war ground; wherein, many of the anti-terrorist operations have been halted for unknown reasons. Every hope for peace was abolished in this way.
Taliban and ISIS in Afghanistan (Daesh) took more power in Faryab, Sar-e-pul, Jawzjan, Kunduz and Baghlan provinces and fear and terror got stronger in public life. Such fear and terror was not even seen under Taliban rule. The fall of Kanduz province in the hand of Taliban which still suffers from the absence of peace was the product of such one-sided policies of the presidential palace and statemen in that circle. No one can deny that if once again the government could not fill the security vacuum, it may pave the way for another occupation of the province by terrorist forces. Such a shame it is for us to see our country in a situation where the authorities dominate the public life for power. Even the lives of those army men who bleed for their country have no value for the supreme powers. The army men who sacrifice their lives, get abducted by terrorist forces, leave their families with no shelter or leave orphans and widows are not counted important anymore by VIPs and ruling elite.
Ashraf Ghani instead of countering terrorism, offered Taliban more chances to grow and be a shelter for international terrorism. Taliban availed the chances and under Ghani’s politics called for the international terrorists to enter Afghanistan easily. Thus, government betrayed Afghans in the best possible way, especially it betrayed the blood of the freedom fighters who fought to bring peace and prosperity to the motherland.
Due to these policies, many Afghan youth left their country. The leaders who now form Grand National Coalition waited for a long time for something positive in the government policies. But it was all in vain. When their patience was over and Ghani’s administration betrayed them, they made the decision to form the coalition.
The coalition was formally announced last week and it included many well-known figures: first vice president of Afghanistan, General Abdul Rashid Dostum; Jamiat Islami Chief Executive, Atta Mohammad Noor; second deputy chief executive, Mohammad Mohaqiq; previous NDS boss, Rahmatullah Nabil; previous VP of Afghanistan, Younus Qanuni; Zahir Qadir, an MP; Salahuddin Rabbani, acting foreign minister and Zia Massoud former advisor to President Ashraf Ghani, among others.
Obviously, one of the aims of this coalition is to bring stability across the country especially in the north of Afghanistan. Other reason for formation of the coalition is to defend the people’s right, social justice and equal opportunity to take part in political landscape of Afghanistan.
Afghan people are tired of NUG’s betraying policies and frauds. They fully support this coalition without considering ethnicity, and other differences. When Gen. Dostum was in Turkey and Qaiseri was imprisoned by President Ghani, there were widespread protests in different parts of the country, and when he returned to Kabul, thousands of people greeted him welcome.
One of the most part of the coalition is National Coalition for the Salvation of Afghanistan (NCSA) that was formed by Hizb Jammait-e-Islami, Hizb-e-Wahdat Islami and Junbish-e-Milli parties. NCSA was formed by Gen. Dostum, Mohaqiq and Noor, while Dostum was still in Turkey. It basically laid the foundation for the formation of Grand National Coalition.
The wrong polices of government was the only reason that this coalition came into being and now the future politics of our people depends on them. Will the betraying policies of Presidential Palace continue or will they realize the true demands of the nation? If they continue, it will not end in the interest of anyone. Up to now, we have not seen that President Ghani and his team have not been able to deal with opposition properly.
To fight against terrorism and Taliban, it is the right time, so NUG should not miss this opportunity. If president Ghani does not include all the stakeholders and important people in reconciliation process and counter-terrorism polices, its administration will fail to gain any positive result.
Afghans are optimistic that the step that is taken by Grand National Coalition will be helpful in bringing peace and stability, happiness and improvement in the status quo of Afghan people. We should hope for national unity, better security in the country among brave people of Afghanistan by the will of Allah Almighty.
