July 29, 2019
Amid all the gloomy news emerging from Afghanistan over all those years, there is a good one as well. The unity government elected through 2014 presidential polls has completed its term and is set to hold fresh polls to nurture democratic principles in this war-riddled country.
With the beginning of official campaign for 2019 presidential elections, men and women across the mountainous country can pick and choose their future leaders based on their promises and track record.
In spite of all the glitches associated with the balloting process here, it is much better than imposing will on the people through bullets.
Elections in a democratic system does not end miseries of a nation overnight anywhere, but it provides a stepping stone for a systematic and peaceful transfer of power along with mechanisms for check and balance with the voters at the heart of it.
And, the Afghans have demonstrated in the recent parliamentary elections and even before that how much they appreciate the sense of empowerment they get in this democratic practice.
In the case of Afghanistan, the main opponents to peoples’ say in electing future leaders are the Taliban. Their principle stand remains that the country is under ‘occupation’ and the government is orchestrating elections only to legitimize that.
The counter argument here is that where do the Taliban get their legitimacy from? There were no so-called legitimate polls when they were in power (1996 – 2001) and in fact a phenomenal number of Afghans expressed their opposition towards the Taliban by leaving the country.
There is no denial of rigging, technical glitches and issues of inclusivity associated with some of the elections Afghanistan had since the fall of the Taliban regime, but the peoples’ determination to participate despite deadly threats by the Taliban outshines that.
In its special report titled “2018 Elections Violence”, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) noted last year the Taliban launched deliberate campaign of violence and intimidation to disrupt elections. The report verified a total of 435 civilian casualties (56 deaths and 379 injured) during the process.
For the sake of the country and its people, the warring sides need to immediately ceasefire so that the Afghans can choose their future leaders in peace.
Source: FAIR PLANET
Disclaimer: Views expressed on this blog are not necessarily endorsed or supported by the Afghan Studies Center and Center for Research and Security Studies, Islamabad.
