Coming to India a second time, 5 months after the first one, in the heat of the summer might not have been a great idea, but my friend and I took the journey anyway.
What transpired for us to choose this option is that we both have been stressed out. Between the new political play, 2014 Elections on the brink of arrival in Afghanistan; the pullout of foreign troops; and the daily, fear of being blown to shreds as a civilian casualty of the war between a government supported by the International community and the Al-Qaeda/Pakistan backed Taliban, the stress has become unbearable.
For normal Afghans whether educated or not, the news of foreign troops pullout has had much the same effect, if not more, than the rest of the world as it is described across the large contingent of foreign and Afghan media. Of course the media carries out a large part of the propaganda, one rushing to get a breaking story faster than the other outlet. Afghan and Foreign media alike in Kabul and across Afghanistan are in a race to get their story out. Whoever has the most input, despite how ridiculous it might sound to the Afghans, or how far it might be from the truth, wins the race. Having said that, it is also important to point out that media has played a very large role in keeping the International Community interested in Afghanistan. Whether that interest might remain after 2014 and the so-called deadline of foreign troop’s pullout is difficult to predict.
On top of that, the Afghan Government and the International Community have largely failed in bringing peace and stability to Afghanistan. Small success stories of one village that ISAF, the Afghan Government, Aid Agencies working in Afghanistan, or for-profit NGO’s may report, is a needle in a haystack. As I have said before, the amount of progress you see is very little considering the $84 billion spent in Afghanistan. But as an Afghan I can see where that money has gone. The houses of Shirpoor in Kabul, the huge cement walls around every Ministry/ ISAF/UN/ NGO/ ANSF/ and/or any other government compound all over the country. The amount of boots we have had in Afghanistan to fight the so-called war against terror, with just American troops is 100,000. Cost of logistics to these troops is very high. I remember when I started working for the American military in the south of Afghanistan, where a bottle of water, from packaging to shipping to getting to the base cost around $5 for a bottle. Not to mention the supplies delivered to them from all over the world. I won’t deny that a select few Afghans have had the privilege of obtaining these contracts and getting abnormally rich, but those are select few are connected to the International troops or the Afghan Government, at times both. Cost of war is high, a war against terror, being fought on the plains of Afghanistan, 1000’s of kilometers from the large contingent of troops present in the country, is emotionally and physically stressful for both Afghan public and the International Military.
Largely, I don’t believe that any of the Afghan allies, fighting the Taliban in the country is doing it for Afghanistan, but for their own interests. This also includes the Taliban. The Taliban is being used as a proxy to carry out operations for the benefit of neighboring Pakistan; however, Pakistan has denied involvement or support to the insurgent group. Neither the Afghan Government, nor the International Community is actually going public and stating that Pakistan is the actual enemy, despite knowing these facts are true.
Afghanistan still has the highest number of refugees and asylum seekers in the world. Although the number of Afghan asylum seekers reduced dramatically in the beginning years of the Karzai regime, it has picked up again since 2008. That alone demonstrates the failure of the Afghan government to provide social security for the Afghan Population alongside the International Community. Although widely ignored, tribal racism is one of the biggest issues, especially in the ranks of the Afghan Government. Employees are not hired because they have the qualifications to do the job, but are hired for their relation to certain chain in the command system of the particular Office.
The Afghan Government, even with help from its international partners, has failed to provide the basic services that Afghans need. Education, Health, Social Services, Women’s rights, Child labor and anything you can name are sorely lacking Yes, there have been some achievements. Yes we have more students compared to the Taliban regime and 1000 more schools opened, but with the money spent in Afghanistan, shouldn’t this be expected? Women’s rights are one of the serious issues in Afghanistan. Recently, the law to ban violence against women didn’t even get preliminary hearing in the Parliament. The discussion was over before it even started with some religious parliamentarians calling it un-Islamic. Whatever the war or the cause, women have always suffered in Afghanistan. They have been the victims of house arrest, rape, extortion, beating, torture and plain out slavery. But their voices of concern have often gone unheard, because Afghans who see it in their benefit do not like women to grow in the society. They want women to remain the slaves they are, to just give birth, and cook and clean. They don’t have rights to heritage, although in Islam they legally do. They don’t have the right to choose, and they don’t have the right to speak their minds. In the past 11 years, social activists and organizations working for human rights have had huge achievements, but the government has never put a law in play, in action, to give women even the simplest rights that they should have.
I am not someone who plans and has the right education to provide a solution to the Afghan government, however late it might be, to solve the current crisis and lead the country to the right path. Even those who have do not have the ability to speak, for they are muted either by money or by force.
I am tired of fighting like any other Afghan. I am tired of the insecurity I feel when I travel through Kabul every day to work. I am tired of feeling like I have to cage my family in order for them to remain safe and in order for my wife, daughter or son not be blown up or killed in the cross-fire. I am tired of war that is being fought in whatever name it has been; the large contingents of the casualties are my Afghan brothers. I am tired of racism. I am tired of the government telling me what to do while they do the exact opposite thing. I am tired of them stealing the soul of Afghans, I am tired………..
I believe that every Afghan feels like me, they are tired. For the past several months, I could not concentrate on work because every time I sat behind the desk, I felt like I was choking. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I felt like I couldn’t do this anymore because I felt caged. So I left Afghanistan, even if it is just for a little while. I left because I needed to get my head straight before I lost everything, before I basically went crazy.
Great piece. I hope you can get out and find peace for you and your family. I've been there three times and understand your weariness.
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