Few days ago, the government celebrated the 93th anniversary of Independence Day in the barricaded area within the defense ministry. Afghan people generally remained unaware of the celebration and many came to know about it only through domestic press released during or after the ceremony. However, it should be noticed that it provided a context for Afghan intellectuals, celebrities, and analysts to discuss the current state of the country and the blurred concept of independence for Afghan people.

During history, the Independence Day used be celebrated with extraordinary enthusiasm and excitement across the country, but it increasingly has lost its prestige. Even now the government does not celebrate it with eye-catching and glittering programs. Talking to people, anybody could get the sense that they indeed give no importance to the independence of the country from Great Britain. What can be the reason?

The first thing which should be noticed is that as a colonized country, Afghanistan has never been under full control of any country during its modern history. Great Britain in its three attacks failed to capture the entire country and finally was defeated by King Amanullah Khan who is well-known for his democratic mentality and drastic measures for the cause of democratization, which unfortunately angered traditional and religious fronts and brought about the collapse of his regime.

Secondly, due to long-lasting communal dictatorship, the words “nation and national” are blurred and distorted concepts. Everything is interpreted on the basis of ethnicity and communal lines. King Amanullah who perhaps will change into a respectable figure among intellectual layers of the society is now much more a Pashtun rather than an Afghan. And his government represented mostly an ethnic group rather than Afghan people. That is why he still has remained within the borders of community and has not found the status otherwise he deserves.

The third problem is the current state of Afghanistan. However, few days ago, 93th anniversary of Independence Day was celebrated but considering the current situation, Afghans rarely believe that their country is truly independent. Afghan governments have always been dependent to this and that country for its survival. Presently, the government survives due to presence of more than 100 thousand foreign security forces.

These are the factors that Afghans generally do not give importance to days which are celebrated by the name of independence, and victory, for instance, of Mujaheedin groups.