Written by: Himat Samoon
After the fall of the Republic in Afghanistan and the rise to power of the new Afghan government, officials of the fallen Republic living abroad, opponents of the current government, and some countries hoping to exert influence in Afghanistan consistently use the cliché and ambiguous term “inclusive government,” which is subject to much debate regarding its definition. These individuals, addresses, and countries use the same term in both formal and informal settings, attempting to convey their hidden agendas and messages behind it. Before we get to all of that, let’s first talk about the meaning of “inclusive” in the terminology of neutral Afghans, as well as the validity of this term in the current government.
The term “inclusive” means that representatives from different ethnic groups and communities within a structure, system, and government should be united under a single leadership and work toward a common goal. Now that we are examining the current government of Afghanistan, we can say that at the leadership level, there are true representatives of different ethnic groups in the structure of this system. Abdul Salam Hanafi is the second deputy prime minister of Uzbek ethnicity and from the northern zone of the country. In the military sector, the Chief of the General Staff, who commands the entire army, is a resident of the northeastern province of Badakhshan and is of Tajik ethnicity. Nooruddin Azizi, who is the Minister of Industry and Commerce of Afghanistan, is a resident of Panjshir province and is of Tajik ethnicity.
Qari Din Mohammad Hanif, the Minister of Economy of Afghanistan, is a resident of Badakhshan province. Dr. Abdul Latif Nazari, the Deputy Minister of Economy, is of Hazara descent. Shaikh Khalid Hanafi, the Minister of Promoting Virtue and Preventing Vise, is of Nuristani ethnicity and a resident of Nuristan province in the country. Similarly, many other governors, directors, and high-ranking government officials from various ethnic groups and provinces of Afghanistan have gathered and are working and serving under the unified leadership of the current government.
If we examine the lower levels, hundreds of thousands of people from the fallen republic, including mid- and low-level government officials, deputies, directors, managers, and employes, are still in government positions, have not been dismissed, and their work has not been stopped. Only the first-degree heads of the institutions have been changed, and replacements have been appointed for the directors who left the country immediately after the fall of the republic.
If the overall goal is to have representatives of different ethnic groups in the government, then representatives of every ethnic group are present at every level in the current government. So, what is the point of the demand for inclusivity? If we look at the structure of the fallen republic, where power was monopolized by multi-ethnic contractors and charlatans for a full two decades, why didn’t anyone recommend inclusive governance to them then, and why are they doing so now? Why don’t these people and countries see the government body as one where 60 to 70 percent of the officials are all the same republic officials, residents of different provinces, and people from various ethnic groups?
Is the inclusive meaning the same as the few unsuccessful, infamous, and corrupt figures of the fallen republic? Were they really representatives of their tribes? Hadn’t they monopolized and inherited power at that time? Didn’t they work for other countries and organizations instead of Afghanistan? Weren’t they neck-deep in corruption? Weren’t they involved in atrocities, usurpations, killings, kidnappings, and tortures, and weren’t they human rights violators? Weren’t they trying to incite the disintegration of Afghanistan and sow discord among the ethnic groups at the behest of foreigners? Would foreigners not invest in them because of these same things? Of course, the answer is yes! They were involved in all these actions.
The meaning of “inclusive government” is a cliché, biased, and filled with hundreds of tricks and deceptions. The meaning of “inclusive” is that the same failed and infamous figures should be brought back, Afghanistan should be made a center of proxy and influence for the region and the world, divisions should be fueled, and finally, the current stability, security, and prosperity should be turned into war, killings, bloodshed, and destruction, so that the personal interests of other countries, several circles, and several individuals are protected and that’s all! The term “inclusive” is a drop of poison for international and exiled opponents, a poison that cannot be undone; Afghans do not want such a government because it is a decree that must be considered worthless and meaningless.
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