Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Thursday, April 18th, 2024

What Makes Optimistic

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What Makes Optimistic

After spending around three years out of my home country Afghanistan, I finally returned back with surprisingly cheerless mod to see and experience what I have been hearing and following from far away. Chronically categorizing, there are two types of Afghan migrants and refugees for whatever reason they left the country: old and new ones. And absolutely, I am in the second category. People like me have experienced the cruelty of two ideologies ruled the country decades-long and dealt with all miseries caused by decades of security crisis and political instability.

Truly, speaking for people like me who had undergone to horrible sufferings, commencement of a new US-run democratic process seemed a gift of Allah. But the situation did not remain intact and people started changing with changes of circumstance and social and political conscience. And people started getting open and harsh in criticizing Karzia's administration and, frequently, the entire political system. As hinted stated, there are two distinct raisons d'être for the growing inconvenience: the security situation started deteriorating by each passing year and second, raising social and political awareness about democratic government's duties and responsibilities.

During international engagement in Afghanistan, Afghan media and, generally, freedom of expression amazingly initiated taking root in the society, which even has won the appreciation of global electronic and print Medias and, also, the government of Afghanistan count it as its remarkable achievement. But how much the government of Afghanistan really has played in this sphere needs to be analyzed. Anyhow, the amazing quantitative amplification of press has played role shaping a new mentality and distortion of the classic dictatorial picture of government.

Here, now Afghan civilians are not afraid of security forces as they used to a generation ago, when the regimes were oppressive found to rule on people not exactly serve them.

Talking with old generation of Afghan people, we easily come to figure out that they have become entirely different.
From the very start of friendly conversation, older people start talking about their situation and political environment they used to leave. Even the welfare program by government looked grim and disgusting. It is a very familiar story in my hometown that people used to bribe officials and civil servants to discharge their children from educational institutions. And those who were poor and had no money to bribe ultimately left their children in and now those people are, in general, on the top and enjoying more prosperous and dignified live in comparison to their fellows discharged through bribing.

Few years ago, they had cliché image from government. Now it is different. They do not bear the same old picture and appreciate government for minor things it involved in. and neither they are thankful of government for not imposing extra financial charges and does not torture them for no specific reason.

It becomes years, they have broken those mental chains and question government for pour performance and its inability to protect their live and rights. Thus, the very creation and spread of this new notion, I view, as great achievement for Afghan civilians. This notion, in turn, brings about irritation and annoyance which ultimately brings government under pressure to discharge its duties and meets civilians' concern and anxiety.

Otherwise, people would turn their back and give up supporting the administration. The second thing which somehow has been effective in shaping the civilians' concept of government and their inconveniency to Karzia's administration is further deterioration of security situation by each passing year. During few years of international security forces engagement right after outstation of Taliban regime, the security situation was much satisfactory and pleasing in comparison to todays.

The situation has got much worse and both civilians and security forces are killed in larger number. It becomes almost a month that I have returned and during these days, perhaps, I have come across few incidents, but absolutely it was due to region where I stay. Yesterday, I was coming to Kabul from Ghazni province; I somehow figured out the depth of instability and routine threat of Taliban-led militants on people.

Repeatedly, our driver suddenly pushed the brake and after hitting our head hard to door and roof of the car passed smoothly without existence of speed breaker. These repeated incidents mostly were taking place where the bomb exploded and destroyed the concrete high way and was not seeable from meters away or bombs went off perhaps weeks or months ago that government found the opportunity to re-concrete it. But the track of explosion remained and recently concreted parts looked blacker.

The driver over and over again pushed wrongfully on recently concreted parts and passed on speed breakers with full speed. On the same highway, while we were moving, along with seeing tens of exploded cars and machines, two trucks were just burned down and the oil gushing out and people were rushing with bottles and drums in hand to fill the tankers of the machines or carry to their house.

A funny thing the driver said that those people were aware of the militants' attack and therefore ready to fill their drums before the complete wastage of oil. However, he was kidding but it is of course a bitter reality that militants enjoy the sympathy of people in particular regions where they strongly resist the pressure of Afghan and foreign security forces.

Finally, I found here something that made me some optimistic about the future, like some other people. that was the outstanding bravery of Afghan armies. Two years ago, when I left the Afghanistan, Afghan security forces did have the courage and state as I see now. They have become courageous and more committed to defend the country and protect civilians.

Jawad Rahmani is the permanent writer of the Daily Outlook Afghanistan. He can be reached at jawad_rahmani2001@yahoo.com

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