Written by: Sharafat Ahadi
After the independence and freedom from the occupation and colonialism, and the decisive defeat of the United States and NATO on the bloody battlefield, Afghanistan now has the opportunity to skillfully and artistically embark on the path of growth and progress, and to seek the address of success at the heart of Asian and ultimately global competition. This patient and courageous nation deserves more than this, and in these recent years filled with peace and tranquility, the time has come for it to showcase its beauty and perfection in all different fields and arenas, such as sports, and to demonstrate its strength.
Winning the gold medal at the Bahrain Asian Under-17 Futsal Championships is one of the signs of success in recent years, where people in the warm and peaceful environment of their homeland had the opportunity to shine beautifully on the world stage and perform skillfully. This victory by the youth is just a glimpse of the abundant and untapped talents of the young people in this country, which have come to fruition and brought a harvest of joy and happiness to the country and the nation.
There is no doubt that this great success and lasting victory is the contribution of every single compatriot, and everyone has an equal role and share in it and is deeply pleased and happy. The people’s grand reception of the under-seventeen futsal team players and staff at the airport and public rallies, their invitation and meeting with the country’s interior minister, and their presence in Paktia and Khost provinces were a symbol of unity, solidarity, and the expression of this nation’s authority; an image that had faded and lost its luster during the years of occupation, replaced by fear and terror.
But as always, the fleeing opponents, seemingly behind the deception and turmoil, have risen up in opposition. Instead of encouraging and motivating the victors of this sport, rejoicing in the nation’s happiness, and expressing joy at the people’s presence in the spontaneous welcoming ceremonies for these champions, they have, on the contrary, portrayed the people’s turnout as a form of civil resistance, as if they have broken the spell, the black magic of bonds and barriers. This is a very naive and desperate interpretation and perception that even the most ordinary people are disgusted by the weakness of this biased interpretation and consider it to be doomsaying, stirring up trouble, and incitement.
No matter how much these mercenaries, fugitives, domestic enemies, and hypocrites within their own ranks fuel these divisive and unity-breaking issues and thrust them into the nation’s eye like sharp thorns, they are, above all, cutting down their own roots and displaying the depths of their ignorance and audacity. It is no secret that all compatriots, both at home and abroad, considered this victory a major success for themselves and celebrated it from near and far, sharing in this joy in their own way.
In addition, the presence of the country’s youth and adolescents in sports arenas, their participation in competitions, and their winning of gold and silver medals demonstrate the government’s support for the country’s athletes and the athletes’ encouragement from the support of the nation and the government, so that they can win more medals for the country and the nation and extend the celebration.
One of the major achievements of this victory was the strengthening of the nation’s unity and the discrediting of the illusory concepts of prejudice, racism, and tribalism. This is because in this joy, neither ethnicity nor prejudice was relevant, and not only one region and district welcomed the victory, but everyone came out to welcome it as one body and one soul, overflowing with enthusiasm. Furthermore, the people of each province invited and welcomed those victorious young people.
If one has eyes to see and ears to hear and follows the media, they will learn lessons of unity and brotherhood from all these stories, not lessons of resistance and struggle. One sees the gathering of empathy, not the line of resistance. One smells a pleasant fragrance, not the stench of division. One watches the laughter of joy, not the anger of disgust.
Unfortunately, a number of self-serving and fugitive opponents, as always, from far away and in the enemy’s embrace, still cannot bear to see the happy scenes of the heroic Afghan nation. They cling to any old and worn-out rope to find and highlight even the slightest signs of weakness and failure in the strengths and successes of the government and the nation. However, today, under the current government, the people have reached such a level of awakening, awareness, and even knowledge and realism that their ears are full of these words and accusations, they are not affected, and they are not moved by baseless claims.
Fugitive opponents, with such statements and unsuccessful attempts at infiltration, are increasingly showing themselves to be defeated, and every day, they lift another veil from their hostility and hatred toward this nation.
May new talents be discovered and supported, may more victories be achieved for this country, may we witness joy, empathy, and unity in this great land every day, may we shine with numerous successes in the world, and may we defeat domestic and foreign enemies with our countless victories.
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