The warlords of Afghanistan, those who once stood alongside the rightful Mujahideen of this land, whether during the jihad against the Soviets or the devastating internal wars, kept their children and beloved ones away from the battlefields; fields that had become saturated with the blood of the deceived youth of this land.
In the days following the victory of the Afghan people over the communist regime and the defeat of the occupiers, the self-proclaimed leaders deceived many people with various slogans and used them as fuel for their personal wars and rivalries. However, their sons and daughters were sent abroad for education or leisure with the money of this unfortunate nation.
In the meantime, Ismail Khan was no exception among the other warlords, as his eldest son, Mirwais Sadiq, was studying in France, far from the concerns of the people of this land, while Herat was burning in the flames of war and destruction due to Ismail Khan’s conflicts.
At the Bonn Conference; a gathering where warlords swore allegiance to serve the interests of their Western masters and, with hands stained with the blood of innocents, reclaimed their seats of power, Mirwais Sadiq represented his warlord father at this ill-fated banquet and consequently took the seat of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs in the interim government.
He was appointed as the Minister of Aviation during the transitional government in Jawza 1381 and remained one of the influential figures close to the power circle in the government until his assassination on Jawza 22, 1382. He played an active role in consolidating the political position of his father, Ismail Khan.
After the assassination of Mirwais Sadiq, the city of Herat quickly fell into a state of crisis, and fierce battles broke out between the forces of Ismail Khan and the forces of Zahir Naibzada, the commander of the 17th Division of Herat; the individual who was alleged to be responsible for Sadiq’s assassination.
After the news of the assassination of Mirwais Sadiq spread, the city of Herat took on a military appearance, markets were closed, and the suffering people of this land took refuge in their homes; it seemed that it was the people of Herat who had to pay for the personal feuds of warlords and their families.
The clashes began at 4 PM with light and heavy weapons between Ismail Khan’s mercenaries and the forces of the 17th Division of the city; a battle that, after causing heavy financial damage and the deaths of more than 100 people, ended with the mediation of the central government.
Ismail Khan, while calling himself the Amir of the Mujahideen and always mentioning the sacrifices and heroism of the jihad fighters in his speeches, in practice, paid the least attention to the graves of the martyrs and their families.
The cemetery of the unknown martyrs in Herat is one of the evidence supporting this claim; it had been neglected for years, filled with dirt and garbage, and many families had to pay out of their own pockets even for a simple gravestone.
In contrast, the shrine of Mirwais Sadiq was built with marble, a large dome, tall walls, electricity, a garden, and even a guard. He seized several acres of public land, built an extravagant mausoleum, and destroyed dozens of graves belonging to the people of Herat to construct a road to the garden where his son is buried.
A tomb that, according to some, cost nearly a million dollars, not from Ismail Khan’s personal pocket, but from the public treasury of a nation that couldn’t afford its daily bread.
This is how the people of Herat, instead of seeing justice and peace, became victims of the power games and selfishness of warlords who used the name of jihad to achieve their own interests; self-proclaimed leaders who, instead of serving the people, sacrificed their lives and peace for their own desires and added new pain to their old wounds.
To be continued…
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