Squandering a rare opportunity

Afghanistan government has often become a self-serving means of enriching political elites with ethnocentric agendas


Editorial March 28, 2020

The Untied States deeply regrets that Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah were unable to agree on an inclusive government to run Afghanistan. Their failure has harmed the US-Afghan relations and “sadly, dishonours those Afghan, Americans, and coalition partners who have sacrificed their lives and treasure” in pursuit of peace in the war-ravaged country.

These were the parting words of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who earlier this week dashed to Kabul in an effort to break a deadlock between Ghani and Abdullah who both lay claim to the Presidency and refuse to give up. This tug of war is threatening to unravel a peace deal that the United States has secured with the Taliban after months of negotiations.

An angry Pompeo threatened that the Trump administration would cut Afghan aid by one billion dollars if political rivals Ghani and Abdullah did not agree on a unity government. The United States gives Kabul billions of dollars in budgetary support every year. Kabul can barely collect a quarter of the revenue it requires to run the country. So, if Pompeo follows through on the threat, Kabul would be in serious trouble.

Sadly, Ghani and Abdullah have been unable to settle their row more than six months after the presidential vote. The pair had shared power for five years in the previous government set-up, though their unity government was anything but united. Abdullah, who lost the election to Ghani for the second consecutive time, believes the entire Afghan system has been conspiring to deny him victory.

Ghani, like his predecessor Hamid Karzai, belongs to the Pashtun majority in Afghanistan, while Abdullah, who is half Tajik and half Pashtun, draws support from other ethnic communities — particularly the Tajiks, the Uzbeks and the Hazaras — in the country’s north. So, the Ghani-Abdullah wrangling also carries undertones of ethnic polarisation in the country which in the past was responsible for much bloodshed in the country.

Unfortunately, in Afghanistan, government has often become a self-serving means of enriching the political elites who have ethnocentric agendas. Billions of dollars pumped in by international donors to bring peace, stability, build and rebuild institutions for all Afghans were not spent for the purpose. Several politicians have amassed enviable fortunes over the years and they resist any attempt to bring about a positive change in society.

A former adviser to the Afghan government has said that the dangers posed by ISIS and the Taliban “are ultimately less damaging than the country’s corruption”. In the global Corruption Perception Index 2019, Afghanistan was ranked at 173 out of 180 countries of the world. The endemic corruption and bad governance only erode the government’s legitimacy and strengthen the counter-narrative promoted by the armed groups inimical to Kabul.

The Afghan political elites should give up political myopia, stop scapegoating its neighbours for their own failures, fix systemic flaws, and collectively work for a peaceful, prosperous and all-inclusive Afghanistan. The Doha deal reached between the United States and the Taliban on February 19 this year offers a rare opportunity to restore peace in Afghanistan after years of bloodshed. Pakistan has repeatedly warned against “spoilers”, but it appears as if the Afghan political elites are willingly allowing “spoilers” to unravel the deal and squander the hard-earned opportunity.

This makes the United States angry — and rightfully so.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 28th, 2020.

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