Abstract:
Almost all Afghans expect a miraculous outcome to the
forthcoming Loya Jirga in favor of peace and security in their
land. A consideration of their wishes would show that their
expectations from the Loya Jirga is a long order that the
Jirga may not be able to deal with because of its limitation
of time and definition of its expected agenda that includes
deciding on a transitional government. All of this in only
six days is equivalent to expecting of a true miracle. It is
now the responsibility of the Loya Jirga preparation machinery
to ensure just and equitable representation to the Loya Jirga
and guarantee that all tricks are banned to be played in this
last game in Afghan politics. It is also upon the
participants of the Jirga whoever they may be to ensure just
and democratic conduct of the Jirga in a way that would bring
about a solution to the long suffering of the Afghan nation
and to be a matter of pride for Afghans of tomorrow.
It would seem that the
whole Afghan nation is poised watching for the Magic to be
played at the upcoming Loya Jirga in June. Many expect the
magic to lead to a finale in the long-suffering story of the
Afghan nation. Yet different individuals and movements look
upon that finale differently. Some look at it as an end to
the suffering of decades and even centuries in the life of the
nation. Others look at it as an opening to a path that would
lead the country towards democracy, the rule of law and the
rule of the people. Yet some see in it their loss of power
and grip over the military and civil life in Afghanistan.
Very few are those who objectively look upon the process as a
mechanism used by the Afghans throughout history to bring
about a national solution to national problems. Others
question its organization, its organizing committee’s
competence, its procedures, its agenda etc. This is because
it is so easy, in matters related to Afghanistan, to find
faults in them. It is difficult to suggest solutions.
Le us look at a few facts about the Loya
Jirga. The idea of this Loya Jirga emanated from the camp of
the former King of Afghanistan who lived in exile in Rome and
whose camp wanted to do something for Afghanistan. The idea
caught up international significance when it was also embraced
by the United Nations and the United States. A United Nations
sponsored conference of the Afghan factions stamped the idea
as “the” solution to the Afghan issue. The meeting suggested
that the emergency Loya Jirga should, in line with the past
tradition, be opened by a Kingly personality namely the former
King of Afghanistan. It also decided that the Jirga should
discuss and decide upon a transitional government for a period
of two years. The transitional government, during its
administration and not at this time, was, as per the Bonn
agreement, to work for convening of general elections for a
permanent government and other related vital issues such as
the form of government of Afghanistan etc.
But the Afghan nation that has suffered
greatly seems to be in a hurry and would like this Loya Jirga
to come up not only with a decision regarding the transitional
government, but final decisions regarding the permanent fate
of the country including a determination of its leader, its
form of government, its national army, its permanent
government and a blueprint of its plan for reconstruction and
development. This apparently is a tall order and the Loya
Jirga, in the six days that has been allotted to it cannot
deal with all of these wishes and aspirations of the Afghans.
In the meantime, there are warlords who
see in the outcome of the Loya Jirga losing their ground to
new forces of democracy in the country. They are afraid of
losing political, military and social ground to the new
democratic forces that would demand that the nation be ruled
by law rather than by guns. Some have been in the military
scene of the Afghan conflict for as long as a quarter of a
century. It now is hard for them to realize that their hopes
for regional and national power could and would be
challenged.
There are others who fear that the Loya
Jirga preparation committee established by the United Nations
has had grave shortcomings in its deliberation, compiling of
rules, deciding on the duration and procedures of the Loya
Jirga and the selection and election of its members. Some
accuse the procedures of grave imbalances in the number of
elected and selected members of the Jirga. Others accuse it
of inefficiency in allocating of numbers on a geographical or
geopolitical basis and yet others are concerned over
inequality in assigning of representatives according to ethnic
backgrounds. Some of these accusations are rather serious in
that even a group of elders from the east and south of the
country have documented their grievances and have asked for a
delay to the convening of the Loya Jirga, until such a time
that their concerns are taken care of.
In all of this the person of the former
King also awaits for the miracle of Loya Jirga to bring peace
and tranquility to his country. The elderly 87 year old
former King consistently expresses the fact that he is there
to help bring peace to Afghanistan and to serve the cause of
his nation. Yet there are people and even foreign journalists
that speculate over the fact that the King is hopeful also
that the Jirga would revive the system of constitutional
monarchy in Afghanistan. In their speculation the only
reference they make is to the statements of the King and his
camp that if the Jirga wanted a return to Monarchy then, he
and his family would have to oblige. This is not much unlike
the response that Burhanuddin Rabbani gives to reporters about
his acceptance of presidency of Afghanistan if Loya Jirga
should decide on it. The head of the Interim Authority, Hamid
Karzai has had a similar statement by saying he is not seeking
appointment as the head of the government in the upcoming
transitional administration, but he would accept and be
honored if that was the wish of the Jirga.
But whether a revival of the monarchy, or
appointment of Mr. Rabbani as president or that of Mr. Karzai
as the prime minister would be the solution to the
long-standing ills of the country (such as a quarter of a
century of war and devastation and their consequences, tens of
natural catastrophes including earthquakes, floods, locusts,
epidemic diseases, and above all long years of drought) is
another question. Dealing with the political aspects of the
Loya Jirga is another important issue. All of these make the
Loya Jirga one of the most important venues for finding of
solutions to the problems of the country. And these solutions
are no less than miracles that are expected to happen because
of the Jirga.
Now it is upon the players of the Jirga
to play their cards right and produce, if not the miracle,
something near to it, that would be acceptable to Afghans
today and to be a matter of pride for Afghans of tomorrow. It
is for the players to bring their cards in a way that is just,
that is based on true democracy and is free of tricks. Tricks
that could be played by any number of people inside and
outside the country to disturb this last hope of the Afghans
for peace in their country. It is also for the Jirga
preparation machinery to make sure that representatives are
elected and selected on the basis of justice, equality and
fair political procedures so that universal representation of
the aspiration of the nation is ensured. It is upon this
machinery also to make sure that elections are not bought or
sold, especially now that billions of Afghan paper money,
similar to play money has been put in circulation.