The apology of General Abdul Rashid Dostum, leader of the National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan, from the Afghan people who suffered from the violence and civil war in the country, reminded people of the past violence and bloodshed which were caused by Afghan political leaders. People still wince at the memory of the atrocities and bloodshed which victimized thousands of civilians and its nightmarish picture still haunt the minds of Afghan people. It is not possible to expunge the tragic murders of innocent civilians from the history or minds of our people.
No doubt, the history of Afghanistan is replete with war, violence and bloodshed and civil war is one of them. The leaders of the political parties launched the civil war in the country more than two decades ago, which lasted about a decade, to strengthen their political positions amongst their nations. They intended to launch ethnic cleansing which were beyond them. Moreover, they caused ethnic tensions, racial discrimination and sectarian violence to a large extent that the effects still bring about challenges every now and then across the country. Their military strategies which were arranged to take life of Afghan nation were the same as committing suicide. Of course, a military action against one’s own nation is no more than a self-destructive act.
In addition, the civil war involved many Jihadi political parties, particularly, Jamiat Islami, Islamic Party, Islamic Movement Party, Islamic Union Parties, and National Islamic Movement Party. Mr. Dostum portrayed the effects of civil war very clearly by saying that all Afghan people, from various ethnicities, suffered during the two decades of civil war and no one remained protected from the violence at that time. Furthermore, the war left Kabul in debris and destruction and caused economic strain in the country. Besides thousands of deaths, many Afghans were forced to take refuge to foreign countries.
General Dostum said,” We want to be initiator of a new era and tradition based on which the others should also bravely acknowledge their mistakes and prevent such incidents in the future.” I respect this statement and sensible decision of Mr. Dostum, particularly his recommendation to other political leaders, who were involved in the war, to acknowledge their mistakes. But I think that it will take more than an apology to heal the deep wounds caused by the bloody civil war. It is believed that normally the emotional effect of the war is more than physical ones. In other words, even though, those who get murder will leave the world, nonetheless, the emotional effect that they put in the hearts of their relatives will never fade into oblivion.
Mr. Dostum in his statement said, “It is the time that we should apologize from the Afghan people who were sacrificed due to our policies. I am taking the first step, and apologize from the people who suffered from the violence and civil war in the country.” He added that war is one of the worst and inhuman acts and the people of Afghanistan have been the victim of war, which created distance and mistrust amongst the Afghan people. “This was a bitter truth and was supposed to be acknowledged one day.” It is highly appreciable to learn from the past and do not repeat the political blunders any more. Only the nations who learn from their history will gain prosperity. Of course, it is time for our leaders to lead the country towards peace and stability. It is time for them to open a new page in the history by taking step to bring unity and brotherhood amongst the nation.
Rumor has it that the statement of Mr. Dostum is a tactical move to avoid criticism or campaign for presidential election and he is reputed to carve out reputation among the Afghan nation. It is beyond doubt that the scandal of civil war cast a shadow over the reputation of our political leaders. It is believed that whatever motive behind this apology is, it cannot alleviate the pain of the victims. To be more exact, it is crystal clear that his apology cannot be apolitical, but the ulterior motive will bear no fruit.
It is a certain fact which is said that action speaks louder than words. Our leaders had better express their kindness to the people through their actions and practices rather than their words. Presently, many of the political leaders who were involved in civil war have filed nomination for presidential election, while their political backgrounds are under question of public. It is believed that our political leaders can compensate their pasts by selfless struggles rather than an apology. If they do their best regarding the current issues such as alleviating economic strains, providing peace and prosperity, developing the educational system, etc, people will disregard their actions of the dark days of the civil war.
For the cause of three decades war, especially of the civil war which prepared the ground for disorder and some other wars, our people are still in the grip of many challenges. Comparing to many other countries, our country always goes to the list of the top countries concerning, poverty, educational backwardness, drug use and production, administrative corruptions, terrorist acts, violation of human rights, violence against women, etc. Why the political leaders do not concentrate on these issues. Even though, ruing mistakes means that one will not repeat the same blunders, nonetheless, crying over spilt milk is not fruitful, unless it creates a motive for better performances. Hence, the only solution for the current challenges is taking firm step for developing the country.
Our people rely on the power and devotion of Afghan military forces and political leaders, after the withdrawal of the foreign forces. On one hand our people are tired of depending on foreign forces, and on the other hand foreign forces are tired of supporting our country for too long. Willy-nilly one day the foreign forces will withdraw from our country. So, for standing on our own feet, it is our political leaders to do their best with devotion and dedication.