At present state nations pursue their goals to collective progress, social wellbeing and safeguards from possible incursion. The consolidation of a state primarily pivots on the former requisites than latter, provided the universal notion of peaceful coexistence is not overrun. The role of nation states thereby is confined to provision of social services than keeping large standing army. Conversely, Afghanistan is distant yet to embrace the modern democratic norms of rule of law, pluralism, segregation of state and religion and civil liberties. A society at the behest of irrational discourse and traditional laws is bound to suffer and wander till the onset of pertinent cognition of introducing social reforms.
After passing through series of bloodsheds the world landed to owe democratic system of governance –thought out to follow consolidated remedies to some hard born wounds of the socio-economically disgruntled masses. Bunch of goodliness were associated with audacious aversion of fates of desperate, bad blooded, poverty-stricken and war ruined people. The democracy was deemed to be an agreeable substitute to the formerly practiced despotic systems –earning far reaching riches to world. The sole purpose of democratic state is to look after the welfare of its masses. Nonetheless, travelling decades of journey past the establishment of democracy, the livelihood of masses could not alter to magnitude it should have. Following the footsteps of history we find out the dos and don’ts that hindered progression most of the part of the world. The democratic practice encountered bunch of hindrances in many part of Muslim world.
Afghanistan is a nascent democratic state –getting supported by international community, has to fall in line with democratic practices by now –unfortunately lagged behind to do so. The problems pleading prioritization are elaborated below. Social reform are often gradual but understated changes to particular characteristics of society, although when a social reform does not work, a radical, aggressive social reform may take place. However, it seeks to reform policies regarding women’s rights, child labor, civil rights, education systems, judicial system, institutional discretionary power, health services, housing schemes and universal suffrage.
In Afghanistan, land is often the difference between feeding one’s family and destitution; the future of many families, tribes, and communities depends on their land holdings. Yet it is common for the powerful in Afghanistan to throw people off their land, often for economic development projects that serve chiefly as vehicles for fraudulent loans and financial schemes that benefit officials and their associates. According to a report published by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), some 9 million Afghans – 36 per cent of the population – are believed to live in absolute poverty and a further 37 per cent live only slightly above the poverty line, despite an estimated injection of billions of dollars in previous years. Only 23 per cent of the population has access to safe drinking water, and only 24 per cent of Afghans above the age of 15 can read and write, with much lower literacy rates among women and nomadic populations.
Another, predicament running across the social consciences unfelt is growing child labor. The rule of land either is silent at the subject or owes subtly implemented provisions, shelved to add into the look of constitutional edifice. Notwithstanding, the children subjected endless afflictions and exploitation ranging from physical, mental abuses and tortures fails to earn the attention of guardian of law. Eliminating child labor is one of the biggest challenges for the upcoming government that needs immediate attention. Child labor not only causes damage to a child’s physical and mental health, but also keep him deprive of his basic rights to education, development and freedom. Keeping the gravity of problems in consideration the government of Afghanistan must take immediate steps for alleviating the child labor on war footing.
Demining women both physico-mentally inferior simply heightens their miseries and push them to the depth of negation. It is shocking to hear women ignorantly stoned to death and lashed on some unfound grounds. This is an absolute inequitable conduct and deliberate negation of their inherent potential and equal standing in the patriarchal society. A woman despite numerous discriminations dare making public appearances, serving state institutions are rendered vulnerable to harassment, offensive charges and even physical abuse from both state owned officials and non-state actors.
Institutional reforms to broaden Afghan political participation and punish corruption would be preferable, but institution building is fast slipping beyond reach. It may soon be necessary to settle for constraining favoritism at the margin by renegotiating today’s political deals between Kabul and sub-national power brokers to exclude only the worst abuses.
Following constitutional, electoral reform intends to open political participation and strengthen the parliament as a check on executive excesses.
These are noble goals. But they are very ambitious, and will require more time and resources than the West now seems willing to commit. This is because formal institutions have the weaknesses of their strengths: if effective, they pose a permanent, uncontrollable threat to any official with corruption in the past or present. As such, they threaten a wide array of major figures; creating potent opposition that today’s limited leverage will be hard-pressed to overcome.
Regretfully every elected leader depends on the network’s’ leadership to deliver political support; in exchange, he empowers them with significant appointments, protects them from prosecution, and allows them to prey on the public. This is what we witnessed formerly, when cabinet members were to be picked for various slots, a great deal of favoritism and loyalty exercised to win the confidence. The result is a government of informal political deal making rather than rule-based administration by publicly accountable institutions.
It’s concluded in the light of aforesaid details, an all-encompassing socio-political reforms might subside the magnitude of problems if could not eradicate them. The provision of life necessities, social security safeguards, access to law, right to vote etc. stands the primary responsibilities of the state. The government must design to improve its capacity to deliver services to its citizens –making the vision of welfare state come true.