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

Violence Leads to Indescribable Suffering

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Violence Leads to Indescribable Suffering

The nascent democracy in Afghanistan has been hampered by the Taliban’s guerrilla-style attacks. The protected war has never been mitigated despite sacrifices made by Afghan people and the olive branch offered to the Taliban by the government. The gory incidents continue. Gushes of blood lead to outpouring of grief. Bodies of men, women and children are riddled with bombs and bullets. People are killed without an iota of mercy on the grounds of their caste, color and creed. The life and dignity of individuals are trampled upon by terrorist groups, which operate under religious ideologies. Seeking to protect the rights and dignity of individuals, Afghan soldiers are slayed in cold blood. We are only counting the fatalities and sending messages of condemnation to warring parties. 
The heavy casualties inflicted upon Afghan civilians and soldiers will fill one with a strong sense of disappointment. The post-Taliban democratic government could not stop the bleeding. The heart-wrenching stories repeat one after another. That is, the sufferings of parents and children continue unabated. No panacea has been found out for Afghans’ chronic pain.
The radical ideology of fundamental groups is replete with boundless barbarity since the ideologue fighters spill the blood of mankind without a tinge of guilt. The Taliban and their affiliates know no boundaries for their cruelty. Their hands are red with the blood of innocent individuals.
To one’s unmitigated surprise, the radical groups show strong sensitivity to moral corruption but not to bloodshed. To think in the frame of Islamic sharia, the Holy Koran (the Holy Book of Moslems) says, “Whoever kills a person, unless it be for manslaughter or for mischief in the land, it is as though he had killed all men. And whoever saves a life, it is as though he had saved the lives of all men” (Al-Maeda Verse no: 32). Hence, shedding the blood of an innocent person is similar to killing all mankind. But killing and bloodshed have been desensitized since the Taliban have been widely involved in.
On the other hand, their sensitivity to moral turpitude is no more than an ostentatious act. For instance, the Taliban group is said to be widely involved in moral corruption. It has been reported constantly that the Taliban had raped their male students, this was revealed by their own students who were captured by Afghan soldiers. The retribution for this act is death in Islamic sharia. This is a direct deviation from the right path and a flagrant violation of religious tenets. Such acts of fundamental groups are strong blow to religion. This is believed to be the very reason behind Islamophobia in western countries. It is self-explanatory that when a large number of fundamental groups operate under the aegis of religion, without having basic knowledge about it, this will lead to a disaster. To sum up, the ideology of fundamental groups is void not only of religious tenets but also of ethical code and humanity.
The nascent democracy in Afghanistan has sustained strong blows mainly from the insurgent groups. Counting fatalities and hearing or reading heart-wrenching stories every day in the country seem ridiculous. The nonstop sufferings and heavy casualties in Afghanistan put democracy under serious question. I believe that a democratic country does not necessarily mean to have a democratic constitution when political rehearsal goes against it. The country’s constitution hold people’s rights, liberty and dignity in respect – this is in ideal world but violated realistically. In addition to having a constitution based on democratic values, presidential and provincial elections, and parliament, protecting people’s fundamental rights i.e. rights to life, liberty and estate and natural dignity are far significant for a democratic society.
It is hoped the government will take high steps in safeguarding the rights and dignity of Afghans and reinforce the soldiers to retaliate the past casualties. It is further prayed that Afghan nation will no further be a casualty of radical mindsets and fundamental ideology of militant groups.
The international community and Afghanistan’s allies have to support Afghan state and nation in backing and maintaining democratic achievements and pressure the Taliban to respect the rights and dignity of people and do not shed the blood of the civilians.  The Taliban respect neither Islamic tenets nor international instruments or the Constitution. They seek to gain their political objectives at the cost of thousands’ of lives and repeated destruction. The Taliban fighters repeat the heart-wrenching stories of violence. Unless the Taliban do not practice upon the Constitution, which is endorsed by Afghan high-level clerics, as well as upon the true spirit of religion, the sufferings will continue. But violation of human rights and freedoms have no justification.

Hujjatullah Zia is the permanent writer of the Daily Outlook Afghanistan and freelance writer based in Kabul. He can be reached at zia_hujjat@yahoo.com

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