Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Thursday, March 28th, 2024

Society as a Whole Must Shun Terrorism

The nature of the war that Afghanistan is undergoing is really complex. There are different actors and factors that are responsible for invigorating terrorism, extremism and insurgency in the country and thus influencing the lives of the people. To stand strong against the circumstances, and be in a position to challenge it seriously requires efforts from all sections of the society. There is no particular institution, organization or group that can take the responsibility of changing the overall situation. Different individuals, groups and institutions have to perform their duties properly, afterwards, there can some expectations of improvement.

Security institutions and personnel cannot defeat terrorism alone. Definitely, they have an important role to play and they have given so many sacrifices as well so far; however, terrorism can only be defeated if their efforts are supplemented through proper actions by the society as a whole. Moreover, history and the observation of the international socio-political circumstances will depict the fact that the societies wherein people from different walks of life perform their duties dutifully are destined to face every sort of challenges successfully. Therefore, it is important that the people in our society must also do the same.    

Unfortunately, the socio-political circumstances and security situation have made the situation very intricate. At this crucial juncture, there are various ambiguities as well that have been influencing Afghan people to a large extent. They are not sure about the future of their country and their own selves. The social psychology does seem to be contented and the people are losing their confidence on the control of the government. Such a psychology may prove to be detrimental as people would avoid taking part in constructive activities and would think about escaping the situation instead of facing it with courage and determination.   

Moreover, people would start disbelieving in democracy, which is the only hope for the betterment of socio-political circumstances. They do not want that they should be called as democratic country but do not have the basic necessities of life. They want food, cloth, shelter and above all security. And the Afghan political system, without providing those basic needs cannot promise to provide other requirements, which seem nothing more than luxury at this instance.

After the formation of National Unity Government (NUG), the people of Afghanistan had great hopes of change and improvement in their lives; however, the mentioned circumstances clearly depict that there are fears of losing the improvements that were previously made.

All the parties and authorities that can play a role in bringing about positive changes must take initiative and strive to control the situation. The political leaders and religious scholars can play a very important role in this regard. Religious extremism is turning into a menace and misusing the same the religious zealots are not ready to leave the insurgency and violence. The religious scholars must do their best to make the people believe in religious tolerance and do not become the victim of fanatic and extremist religious teachings of the militants. They have to make it clear to the insurgents that their tactics of suicide bombings and the bombings in public places are totally against Islam and must be shunned immediately. Moreover, they, in their sermons, must teach religious compassion, which is the true essence of Islamic teachings.

Political leaders on the other hand must disapprove all such actions and must condemn them in the strongest tone. They, in pursuit of their political interests, must never support them and strive to promulgate democratic norms and values. They need to understand that the betterment of the society as a whole lies in supporting a strong democratic system, not otherwise.

Media, civil society and intellectuals must also play their roles in this regard. They have to understand the nature of the challenges and the demands of the time. Their role is not only of criticizing but also of providing alternative and better solutions to the problems.

Above all, the government must play a tremendous role in this regard as it has most of the authority. NUG must at least stand for its own promises and make honest efforts to bring about the improvements that it can. It must not waste time in involving in its own differences; rather, it must stand strong for the service of the country as a whole. It must make important decisions regarding security and be prepared to face the challenges that may arise in the upcoming months. Moreover, it must also keep in consideration that there are political ways of resolving conflicts with the insurgents and there are tactics of keeping them in control, which are more lasting than the security measures being taken to subdue them. Moreover, there are processes that can be pursued to tackle the situation through social developments. All we require at this stance is an iron will to fight insurgency and extremism with full vigor and strength.