Many times in a country a dominant group (which has a capacity to make or destroy the country) finds it difficult to bring peace, prosperity and justice in its country due to its ideological confusion. Pashtuns is precisely such a group in Afghanistan as was Punjabi dominated West Pakistan which ultimately resulted in the break-up of Pakistan in 1971 bringing a separate country of Bangladesh in existence. Like the population difference of West (Punjabi dominant) Pakistan & East (Bengali) Pakistan the Pashtuns are only about 42 % whereas only three other major ethnicities, the Tajik, Uzbek and Hazara are about 45 % in Afghanistan.
Though other ethnicities are also there in it but Taliban is mainly a Pashtun based organization and didn’t participate in the election process because it thinks that the Pashtuns (not in majority) have no chance of dominating the State power in democracy in Afghanistan. With the result, Afghanistan wasted the opportunity of stabilizing the county during the presence of the USA on its soil. This has now resulted in the USA (which has given a lot of lives, blood and money in Afghanistan and is in no position to give these further in Afghanistan) now leaving Afghanistan which has created a situation of highly likely gory civil war in Afghanistan. Things can still be improved and brought to desirable results if mainly the Pashtuns & Taliban do the following:-
(1)- First & foremost Afghanistan should understand that a free mind through secular democracy is sine-qua-non for achieving sustained progress in this age of modern science & technology which only gives power, prosperity and justice to any country. As far as religion it survives in secularism also, as Christianity is surviving in the secular West (including the USA).
(2)- Some confused secularists think that the religion should be kept away from State matters which is an absurdity (because this ill-conceived policy has allowed religions to enjoy immense wealth, and influence while their followers are weeping & bleeding profusely in hundreds of millions all over the world like followers of Islam in Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, Palestinians etc). Rather genuine secularism expects that religion should deal exclusively with the other-worldly matters whereas religion being the custodian of the values of contemporary society (in this way) should deal with this-worldly matters too, otherwise religion will not be relevant to the people. Therefore (while keeping the other-worldly matters of the religion away from the matters of secular State) Afghanistan should allow rather should expect all the religions in Afghanistan to buttress and protect the secular democratic State of Afghanistan, also by recognizing the right to freedom of religion as a fundamental right of Afghans.
(3)- While implementing the federal-secular-democratic State, the Afghans should ensure, as given below:-
(i)- Taliban and others (including in Afghan government) need not be oversensitive about interim / caretaker government. Even if some faction is not properly represented in such a government, heavens are not going to fall. Because within a short period general elections can be conducted which will result in a well represented elected government.
(ii)- Afghanistan should not expect any financial help from any country (not even from the USA). In the contemporary world of highly potent modern science & technology, if peace & political stability is there in any country and if its government works in the interest of the people then such a country can make spectacular economic progress quickly on its own.
(iii)- For federalism only martial subjects (military, foreign affairs, currency, communication, national transport and human rights) should be with the Union / Federal government whereas all the civil subjects including natural resources should be with the States / Provinces of Afghanistan.
(iv)- For democracy (in addition to its other essentials) Afghanistan will need two things. First, the election by voting in person and hand counting of votes without machines. Secondly, transparent funding of political parties with periodic organizational elections. Moreover it is a matter of common knowledge that elected representatives are likely to work for those who finance their elections. Hence elected representatives will work for the party only when the party will finance their elections. Moreover, corporations should not be allowed by law to give contributions to political parties. Because legal persons (corporations / limited companies etc) are invoked only when natural persons are not available and when natural parsons (the shareholders of the corporations who are the real owners of the corporations) are there to contribute out of their dividends or otherwise then there is no legitimate reason why corporations should be allowed to give funds to political parties and to their candidates (unless dominance of vulgar money power is the objective of such political process).
(v)- Afghanistan should, without any further delay, facilitate the rehabilitation of millions of Afghan refugees who are presently in Pakistan, Iran etc and should include them in the voter list for next general elections in Afghanistan.
(4)- Some people may say that if further lives, blood and money in Afghanistan is not expected from the USA then why Afghans should look towards any help from the USA in the interest of stabilizing Afghanistan? But this is not correct. Whatever people may say, the help of the USA in Afghanistan is necessary for the simple reason that Afghanistan has two irresponsible countries namely India & Pakistan in its neighborhood. India and Pakistan have never worked for true peace in Afghanistan rather (in the name of altruistic motives) have contributed immensely in destabilizing it and they will keep on doing it even if Afghanistan goes for said federal-secular-democratic political model. It is precisely here that the USA can help Afghanistan in not allowing both India & Pakistan to play their usual irresponsible role in Afghanistan.
(5)- In addition to such help and importantly other US-help can easily come if Afghans do not depend MERELY & OVERLY on US-administration. Instead they should launch a NGO in the USA (as per laws of the USA) to lobby / mobilize US-administration, US-Congress (and its various relevant committees), media, political parties, human right NGOs, think tanks, political commentators etc. also for the purpose of mobilizing (through these) the UN at New York in view of the fact that the USA and its allies including NATO entered Afghanistan militarily post 9/11 under mandate of UNSC (which is still in force) and it is the responsibility (under international laws) of the UNSC to stabilize Afghanistan :-
(i)- For ensuring quick rehabilitation (as per relevant UN laws) of said millions of Afghan refugees.
(ii)- For getting ‘mandatory access’ for Afghanistan to sea through land route from disputed territory of J&K including Gilgit-Baltistan (where plebiscite is legally expected after getting it free from outsiders not only as per 1947 ‘Instrument of Accession’ of J&K to India but also as per 1948 UN resolution) and further land route from J&K onwards in India to sea port.
(iii)- Similar ‘mandatory access’ for Afghanistan to sea through Balochistan (who’s IoA was taken by Pakistan in 1948 under military
pressure despite a contrary resolution by Parliament / Jirga of Balochistan) while pre-partition India was a member of the UN since 1945.
(6)- Once the USA is convinced that the Afghans don’t expect any more lives, blood and money from the USA rather Afghans are endeavoring to usher their country in modern & progressive federal-secular-democracy on their own then the amount of unexpected and REAL help & assistance the Afghanistan will ultimately get from the USA will be beyond the wildest of the imagination of Afghans.
It is hoped that the Pashtuns & Taliban will take all the sections of Afghan society with them and will not allow Afghanistan to suffer the fate that Pakistan experienced in 1971.
