[WarriorEtte]

Confronting a deepening disaster in Iraq, US President Bush has attempted to deflect public attention by pointing to Afghanistan and its presidential poll on October 9 as a beacon of light. Bush's loyal ally in Australia, John Howard, who is up for reelection on the same day, has also hailed the Afghanistan ballot as a success story, demonstrating that the US-led intervention has brought "democracy" to the country.

These empty claims do not, however, bear scrutiny. Every aspect of the election has been marred by bribery, threats and thuggery-not so much by supporters of the ousted Taliban regime, but by US-backed warlords, tribal leaders and militia commanders who have been part of the current Kabul administration, and, in some cases, are presidential candidates. To describe the upcoming Afghan poll as "democratic" is simply a sham.

The US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a report this week detailing the extensive abuse of democratic rights by warlords and their militia in virtually every area of the country. Based on months of research in Afghanistan, it outlines the systematic intimidation of political rivals, journalists, election organisers and the coercive methods used to ensure the support of ordinary voters.

In most of the country, the report concluded, "there remains a high degree of political repression, and politically active Afghans in every region reported that they regularly censor themselves for fear that they might face threats or violence at the hands of factional leaders. The Taliban and other insurgent groups are still considered a serious threat in some southern and southeastern provinces, but most Afghans told Human Rights Watch they primarily fear threats and violence by local armed groups and militias-not the Taliban."

In the eastern areas, for instance, two militia commanders, Hazrat Ali and Haji Zahir, dominate every aspect of life. It is an open secret that these gangsters are involved in a variety of criminal enterprises and abuses, including the seizure of land, theft, kidnapping and extortion. Yet Haji Zahir is allied to current President Hamid Karzai and Hazrat Ali operates closely with US military forces. Both are now engaged in voter intimidation.

An official with the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) told HRW: "[I]f this situation continues and if the powers of warlords such as Hazrat Ali here are not curtailed, the elections will mean nothing. People will see them as an effort to perpetrate the current power arrangements and not as a golden opportunity to get rid of some of the bad people now in power. In politics here today whatever the gunmen want ultimately happens. We don't know what kind of democracy this is."

These days, Mr. Bush and other administration officials often talk about the 10.5 million Afghans who have registered to vote in this month's election, citing the figure as proof that democracy is making strides after all. They count on the public not to know, and on reporters not to mention, that the number of people registered considerably exceeds all estimates of the eligible population. What they call evidence of democracy on the march is actually evidence of large-scale electoral fraud.



The same official noted: "One of the major sources of power and authority for Hazrat Ali and his gang is his close relations with the US military and intelligence. He has successfully used this relationship to harm and intimidate his political rivals. He has arrested people and constantly threatens them with sending them to Guantanamo."

The situation is similar in the northern region around Mazar-e- Sharif, which is dominated by three militia commanders: the Uzbek warlord General Rashid Dostum; an ethnic Hazara faction led by Mohammad Mohaqqiq and the Tajik militia led by Atta Mohammad. The first two are among the 17 candidates challenging Karzai for the presidency. Atta Mohammad is allied to Jamiat-e-Islami, the Northern Alliance faction, which is backing Yunis Qanooni, widely regarded as Karzai's chief rival.

This week, Dostum held one of the few public rallies of the campaign. Some 30,000 supporters were herded into a stadium in the northern town of Shiberghan to hear the candidate absurdly promise, among other things, to defend democratic rights. Dostum is notorious throughout the country for his many atrocities, including the slaughter of hundreds of unarmed Taliban prisoners in the immediate aftermath of the Taliban regime's collapse in 2001. Until he declared his presidential candidacy, he was Karzai's top security adviser.

The US-backed Karzai, an ethnic Pashtun from southern Afghanistan, relies on similar methods. While in these areas political parties and candidates have to contend with armed anti-US insurgents, the main threat still comes from local militia. "Numerous and separate sources in Kandahar, including political organisers, journalists and UN and Afghan human rights monitors, told Human Rights Watch in August that local commanders and leaders have intimidated or threatened political organisers who do not support Karzai's candidacy," the HRW report stated.

A particularly graphic example of the methods used to coerce voters was highlighted last week. A gathering of 300 clan leaders from the Terezai tribe in Paktia province decided to throw their support behind Karzai and broadcast a radio announcement declaring: "All Terezai tribespeople should vote for Hamid Karzai... if any Terezai people vote for other candidates, the tribe will burn their houses." Karzai welcomed their support and extended an invitation to the tribal leaders to visit Kabul, brushing aside criticism of the radio broadcast, saying such warnings were just a tradition and not meant as a serious threat.

Rampant voter intimidation and other corrupt practices will only be compounded by the inadequacy of the formal election procedures. UN and Afghan officials estimated that 125,000 staff would be required to man 5,000 polling sites around the country. The HRW report noted that, as of early September, electoral bodies were still short by 100,000, making it impossible to hire and properly train enough personnel. Already there are indications of widespread multiple registrations by voters. Election officials told HRW that as few as 5 to 7 million of the more than 10 million voter registrations may be genuine.

American coercion

In many ways, however, the thuggery of the warlords and tribal elders are dwarfed by the scope of the methods used by a far more powerful gangster-the Bush administration. Like these petty local despots, the US does not hesitate to use its military force and effective control over the government's purse strings to call the shots on a broader case throughout Afghanistan as a whole.

The US administration, with the assistance of the UN and the acquiescence of its European allies, has had a major hand in every aspect of the election-from its timing to the drawing up of the Afghan constitution. The Afghan people have had no say in the process whatsoever.

Two elections-for the presidency and the parliament-were due to take place in June, but were twice delayed. Now only the presidential poll will take place on October 9-carefully timed to maximise the benefits for Bush in his own presidential campaign. Significantly, Karzai has rejected calls for a further delay by many of his rivals who have cited the short period of official campaigning and a lack of security as serious impediments to open political debate.

The delay of parliamentary elections until April is even more ominous. Under the constitution, drawn up under the supervision of US and UN officials and rubberstamped by a stage-managed loya jirga [tribal assembly], the president has extensive autocratic powers: to appoint and sack the cabinet, military officers, judges, diplomats and other top officials. Parliament provides the only limited check on the president but it will not be in place for six months-at the very least.

Despite its formal profession of neutrality, there is no doubt whatsoever that Washington favours the incumbent. Karzai was installed with US backing in 2002 and for the last two years has demonstrated his complete subservience to his American masters. A private US security firm, Dyncorp, provides his bodyguards, and he is ferried around the country by the US military-privileges that none of his rivals enjoy.

An article published last week in the Los Angeles Times makes clear that the US is actively seeking to manipulate the election process. One of the presidential candidates Mohammed Mohaqqiq told the newspaper that US ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad had visited his office and, in the course of an hour-long discussion, attempted to talk him into withdrawing his candidacy. "He told me to drop out of the elections, but not in a way to put pressure. It was like a request," Mohaqqiq said.

The "request" came with a series of offers, which Mohaqqiq turned down, mainly because he regarded them as inadequate. Not satisfied with the answer, Khalilzad approached the Hazara warlord's supporters. Mohaqqiq explained: "He left, and then called my most loyal men, and the most educated people in my party or campaign, to the presidential palace and told them to make me-or request me-to resign the nomination. And he told my men to ask me what I need in return."

It was not an isolated incident. "It is not only me," Mohaqqiq explained. "They have been doing the same thing with all candidates. That is why all people think that not only Khalilzad is like this, but the whole US government is the same. They all want Karzai-and this election is just a show."

Khalilzad has, of course, denied any interference in the election. But Mohaqqiq's remarks were supported by other candidates, who held a meeting last week to discuss the issue. Sadat Ophyani, campaign manager for Yunis Qanooni, told the newspaper: "Our hearts have been broken because we thought we could have beaten Mr Karzai if this had been a true election. But it is not. Mr Khalilzad is putting a lot of pressure on us and does not allow us to fight a good election campaign."

The note of resignation in Ophyani's comments reflects the fact that all of the country's powerbrokers, militia commanders and tribal chiefs operate under US overlordship-as they are all well aware. Their government positions and titles, the flow of financial aid to their regions and the continued existence of their militia are all dependent on the support-formally of Karzai, but in reality of the US. Ever since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, Khalilzad has been Washington's man on the spot-first as Bush's special envoy, now as US ambassador-manipulating the political situation and ensuring the local warlords toe the line.

In mid-September, amid factional fighting in the western city of Herat, Karzai stepped in to dismiss Ismail Khan as provincial governor. The snap decision provoked an angry reaction from Khan's supporters who mounted a demonstration outside the UN compound in the city. The protest was forcibly dispersed by US and Afghan troops, who killed at least seven of Khan's supporters and wounded 20. While Karzai issued the dismissal, there was no doubt who was pulling the strings. As rioting threatened to get out of control, Khan-at Khalilzad's urging-appeared on local television to calm the protesters.

Pointing to Khan's removal, Khalilzad bragged this week that Afghanistan had "broken the back" of the warlords. In fact, the dismissal of Khan as provincial governor has done little to undermine his power and influence within Herat. He still retains one of the country's largest militias and has accumulated substantial financial resources through his control of the sizeable cross-border trade with neighbouring Iran. As Khalilzad is well aware, the US cannot afford to dispense with warlords like Khan, on which it has relied for the past three years. The dismissal of Khan as governor did, however, provide a timely reminder to all of the country's despots that they hold their fiefdoms under US sufferance.

The result of the October 9 election appears to be a foregone conclusion. But even in the unlikely event that Karzai is forced to a second round and is defeated, his successor will have no choice but to do Washington's bidding. Whatever the outcome, it will certainly not be an expression of the free will of the Afghan people. Yet this electoral charade will no doubt receive the blessing of the United Nations and be triumphantly hailed by the Bush administration as a vindication of its criminal policies.

www.WSWS.org
By Peter Symonds

[Othman]

a mockery of democracy? But democracy is a mockery. So we've got a mockery of a mockery. Pretty good. Hats off to the Afghans.

[WarriorEtte]

Othman, on Oct 8 2004, 08:50 PM, said:

a mockery of democracy? But democracy is a mockery. So we've got a mockery of a mockery. Pretty good. Hats off to the Afghans.

lol

[WarriorEtte]

The donkeys musta gotten tired

[WarriorEtte]

By Simon Cameron-Moore
KABUL (Reuters) -

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Sunday that some of the candidates who had called for a boycott of a historic presidential election had changed their mind and were willing to accept its legitimacy.



The discovery that the ink used to mark voters' fingers to prevent multiple voting had at some places been washable, led most of Karzai's rivals to cry fraud and call for a fresh vote.

Karzai's comments indicated some movement toward resolving the arguments over Saturday's landmark poll, in which millions of Afghans voted for a president for the first time ever.

"Some of the esteemed candidates have rejected the boycotting of the election," Karzai told a news conference. "And we are hopeful that other candidates do not ignore the national jubilation and let the votes be counted.

"The Afghan people voted yesterday in millions and that is what I see," he added. "I am blinded to everything else. It was a celebration, I'm thrilled."

No official turnout figures have been announced, but by most accounts, millions turned out to vote despite threats by Taliban rebels to sabotage the election.

Some 850,000 Afghan refugees voted in Iran and Pakistan, about half the number eligible in Iran and 80 percent of those registered in Pakistan, the International Organization for Migration's refugee voting operation said in Islamabad.

The vote count starts on Monday, and if no one gets a 51 percent majority when full results are available in two to three weeks, the top two will contest a runoff in November.

The largest group of independent poll observers, the Free and Fair Election Foundations of Afghanistan (FEFA) composed of 13 local non-governmental organizations, said the vote was fair despite the complaints.

"The large participation of Afghans is an encouraging sign of people's participation in the democratic process," it said.

Neighboring Pakistan's prime minister, Shaukat Aziz, hailed the election, saying it would lead to "an even better era for Afghanistan," and German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer described the poll as "an extremely impressive success."



MULTIPLE VOTING ALLEGATIONS

Midway through Saturday, all 15 of Karzai's rivals announced they were boycotting the poll because some election workers had marked voters' fingers with washable, not indelible, ink.

This, and questions over the late and rapid registration of 10.5 million voter cards in a population of about 28 million, led to accusations of illegal multiple voting.

Apart from the problems with the ink, "a fairly democratic environment has generally been observed in the overall majority of polling centers," FEFA said.

Before the election, the main worry had been the threat posed by Islamic fundamentalist Taliban guerrillas and their vow to sabotage the poll.

But there was only scattered election-related violence. The Interior Ministry said 10 members of the security forces had been killed, while 25 militants were killed in a firefight in restive Uruzgan province.

"The millions who came to the polls clearly wanted to turn from the rule of the gun to the rule of law," said the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which had 40 experts monitoring the election. "The candidates' demand to nullify the election is unjustified," the OSCE said.

The Joint Election Management Body of U.N. and Afghan experts was to investigate the ink problem, but said vote counting would go ahead.

Two candidates -- the lone woman in the fray, Massouda Jalal, and Hazara chietain Mohammad Mohaqiq -- appeared to back away from the deadlock on Sunday and said they would accept the result of an investigation into the irregularities.

The international community is keen that the election be widely accepted as legitimate. Western donors have pumped in aid and the United Nations has been closely involved in the election, which many believe will endorse the U.S.-backed interim government.

In Kabul's main Pul-i Khisti bazaar, back to its usual chaos after the vote, opinions were divided.

"I'm happy for what happened yesterday," said Mohammad Yousuf, his turban and shawl framing his bearded face. "And to the person I voted for, I am appealing to him to please look after our country and help the poor."

Nasir Ahmad disagreed: "It is clear that yesterday's elections were fraudulent and illegal because a person can only vote once, not five times. They should hold another election."

It is three years since U.S.-led forces invaded Afghanistan to oust the Taliban regime for harbouring Osama bin Laden, architect of the Sept. 11 attacks.

President Bush, facing his own election battle next month, has claimed the Afghan vote as a foreign policy success and hopes it can be mirrored in Iraq.

[Gforce]

Stand against Afghanistan's 'ink-stained' election starts to crumble
By Justin Huggler in Kabul

11 October 2004

Afghanistan's historic election hung on a pot of ink in the end. Even as the ballot boxes from Saturday's presidential election were on their way to the counting stations, intensive talks were under way behind closed doors to persuade 15 opposition candidates to drop their boycott of the election over alleged vote fraud.

President George Bush has been holding this election up as a success for his administration, and a model for Iraq, but the opposition candidates' allegations that voting irregularities favoured the US-backed interim President, Hamid Karzai, have undermined his claims.

They also threaten to discredit the fragile election process here, and deny Mr Karzai the legitimacy he desperately needs from a victory to impose his rule across the whole of the country.

The opposition candidates have demanded that the results be cancelled, and the election held again. Before polling day, violence by the Taliban against voters was supposed to ruin this election. In the end, it came down to elementary mistakes in the organisation of the polls.

Signs that the boycott was crumbling yesterday came when two of the opposition candidates said they were withdrawing from it and would call for an official investigation of the alleged irregularities instead. Six more hinted that they might follow suit. But the fear is that the damage to the election's credibility may already have been done.

International election monitors from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) conceded that the 15 opposition candidates' central accusation - that indelible ink used to mark voters' fingers and prevent them voting twice, had been faulty and washed off easily - was true.

But the head of the OSCE mission, Robert Barry, said: "The candidates' demand to nullify the election is unjustified and would not do service to the people of Afghanistan who came out, at great personal risk, to vote."

Official turnout figures will not be known for some time, but it was clear on Saturday that Afghans had voted in huge numbers, despite the threats from the Taliban to target voters at polling stations. The Independent saw one man who claimed to be 109 years old and to have walked for two hours through a dust storm to reach his polling station.

The failure of the Taliban to stage any major attacks during the election was hailed as a sign that they are seriously weakened and on their last legs. The Afghan Defence Ministry said only four people were killed in Taliban violence, all of them members of the security forces. Voting was stopped in only one district because of violence.

But the alleged voting irregularities threaten to be far more damaging. Already in Kabul yesterday, the not-so-indelible ink was the talk of the bazaars. "Look, the ink is still on my thumbnail," said Shafiq Nazeri, outside a carpenter's shop. "But they say some of it was washing off if you used oil," interrupted the owner, Iqbal Shah Basha Dost.

Mr Dost was contemptuous of the opposition candidates' demand that the vote be held over again. "We voted according to the law," he said. "They are trying to discredit the election, and then wait for their opportunity to disturb the situation."

Mr Nazeri agreed. "It wasn't easy to hold elections in Afghanistan," he said. "You have the security situation, people voting in very remote places, and the weather was really cold. The people came despite that. They really dedicated themselves to the elections. I could see at the polling station everybody was voting for Karzai. This is the only way for the others to rescue themselves."

There are widespread doubts over the opposition candidates' motives. Although some of the minor candidates may have good intentions, some of the bigger players are warlords who may fear they will lose the power they now wield if Mr Karzai scores a decisive victory. Many Afghans hope such a victory would give Mr Karzai and his American backers the confidence to take on the warlords. But by discrediting the elections, the warlords can deny Mr Karzai that legitimacy.

The divisions their allegations are sowing were clear in Kabul. A little way down the street from the carpenter's shop, Gholam Rabbani said: "There were a lot of violations. In Wardak, one person voted 100 times.

"If they declare Karzai is the winner, it will be a puppet government. It will be the puppet of Isaf [the international force in Kabul] and behind them the Americans."

Mr Barry conceded there had been other irregularities besides the ink, including election officials giving orders on how to vote at some polling stations, and voters being turned away from polling stations because boxes were full. An inquiry was necessary to determine if irregularities had affected the vote, he said, and the Afghan-UN joint election board announced one was under way.

It is not clear what was behind the faulty ink. In some polling stations, officials appeared to be using ordinary marker pens instead of the special ink provided. But there were also reports claiming that the ink had been badly stored and had dried out.

The OSCE did not confirm the opposition candidates' more dramatic allegations, including that Pakistani citizens had entered Afghanistan and illegally voted for Mr Karzai in huge numbers.

Mr Barry said that a few Pakistanis had been arrested trying to vote, but that the OSCE believed the arrests had prevented them from voting.

The many analysts who warned that Mr Karzai and his American allies were rushing elections too quickly, before they could be properly organised, will feel vindicated. A few faulty pots of ink, or the mistaken use of a marker pen, may have undermined an election that was vital to Afghanistan's future.


11 October 2004 13:49
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[Gforce]

Germany Cheers Afghan Vote

German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer on Sunday hailed Afghanistan's first-ever presidential election as an "impressive success" that put the country firmly on the road to democracy and stability.

"Yesterday's presidential elections went off peacefully as far as it was possible throughout the country. Voter turnout was according to the first results extraordinarily high," Fischer said in a statement. "In light of over 20 years of war, civil strife and violent rule in Afghanistan, this is an impressive success and a decisive step on the way to a secure, stable, free and democratic Afghanistan."

Fischer said the high voter turnout showed that a large majority of Afghans backed the political process that began in December 2001 at an international conference outside the former German capital Bonn after the fall of the radical Taliban regime.

He said this was all the more remarkable after repeated attempts by extremists in the run-up to the election to sabotage the poll with threats and attacks.

Fischer said the German government "respected" the decision Sunday by the Afghan election commission to continue with the poll Saturday despite opposition accusations of fraud and irregularities in the voting.

Counting of the votes is not expected to be completed until Oct. 30. Should no candidate win a majority a run-off election is schedule for Nov. 20.

Germany has contributed around 2,000 troops to the 9,000-strong NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan and runs two reconstruction teams in the north of the country. It also provided financial assistance for the election.


"Germany will continue to stand by the Afghan people with its partners and vigorously support the process of rebuilding," Fischer said.


Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who is on an Asian tour, is due to make a one-day visit to Kabul Monday.

Talking to business people in Islamabad, Pakistan on Sunday, Schröder said the poll had made him optimistic.


Gerhard Schröder
"The peaceful way elections took place and the high participation makes me optimistic even though there have been some prblems," he said, according to Reuters news service.

"I am convinced that if there have been misdoings or some mistakes with the election the United Nations and the international observers will find that out," he added.

[Gforce]

not many candidates to vote for ...... think the only one was karzai... taking majority of the vote

[Mowlana Vector]

Quote

Selling Afghans Short
The ballot boxes were full, but the election was empty of meaning.
More Here ...

[Mowlana Vector]

Trans: President Hamid Karzai says, “Please support me today. I will support you tomorrow.”
The cartoon is (top) captioned “They say Karzai has made a deal with the warlords. If that is so, he has committed a big mistake.” (Image courtesy of IWPR.Net's Afghan Press Monitor )

FYI: Afghanistan Presidential Election Results

[Mowlana Vector]

The Warlords' Fiefdoms



Afghan President Must Still Negotiate Political Minefield

[WarriorEtte]

4UEyez, on Oct 27 2004, 05:25 AM, said:

The Warlords' Fiefdoms



Afghan President Must Still Negotiate Political Minefield

Bro u forgot Ismail Khan in Herat..

Who, I believe thinks Herat aint even part of Afghanistan no more..

Good luck to Mr Karzai..

Salamz

[Mowlana Vector]

Warriorette, on Oct 10 2004, 09:17 PM, said:

The donkeys musta gotten tired



... and now it is the horses’ turn ...

 kz1.jpg_theaustralian_10.12.04_.jpg (24.23K)
Number of downloads: 19

[Mowlana Vector]

Old Faces For Karzai’s New Cabinet?
By: Hafizullah Gardesh in Kabul*
IWPR (9 Dec 2004)

Some observers worry that the newly-elected president will include former regional commanders in his new government.

With his inauguration behind him, rumours are now swirling about who President Hamed Karzai will pick for his new cabinet.

Much speculation centres on whether two regional powerbrokers – former Herat governor Ismail Khan and Karzai’s election rival Mohammad Yunus Qanuni - will have seats in the new government.

Qanuni, who received 16.5 per cent of the vote in the October 9 presidential poll, has signalled that he is confident he will get a post, while Ismail Khan recently travelled to Kabul to meet Karzai.

Observers fear that naming either Ismail Khan or Qanuni to the cabinet would signal that the central government still feels it has to cut deals with powerful provincial strongmen and their political allies.

With Karzai's new cabinet due to be named in a matter of days, many Afghans are watching with great concern.

Qanuni is a prominent figure in the Tajik-dominated Jamiat-e-Islami party and the Shura-e-Nezar, its Panjsher-based faction.

A close friend and advisor of Panjshiri guerrilla commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, assassinated in 2001, Qanuni was part of the mujahedin government that many people blame for the destruction of Kabul. After the mujahedin took power in 1992, Qanuni was given a senior foreign ministry post. In 1993 he was the target of an assassination attempt by another faction, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hizb-e-Islami. He survived the bombing – but still has to use a walking stick.

In an interview with IWPR, Qanuni said he is keeping the door open to working with the new cabinet.

"I have been invited unofficially several times, but my participation in the new cabinet depends on the will of the people who voted for me," he said.

Ismail Khan, also a major figure from Jamiat-e-Islami, was for many years the ruler of prosperous western city of Herat, which he ran as a private fiefdom.

However, his grip on power slipped after an outbreak of fighting this summer and he was formally dismissed from his position as provincial governor in September.

After his dismissal, Ismail Khan's enraged followers - chanting "Death to Karzai" and "Death to America" - burned down United Nations and other international offices in Herat.

Once known by the less exalted title of Captain Ismail - he was a junior Afghan army officer when the jihad against Soviet occupation began - Ismail Khan took power in the western provinces of Herat, Ghor, Farah and Nimroz after the collapse of the Russian-backed government of Najibullah and awarded himself the title of Amir.

Imprisoned by the Taleban for three years, he escaped and eventually regained control of his traditional stronghold. He maintained a distance from Karzai’s interim administration, and particularly irked Kabul by holding on to the substantial customs revenues earned on the border with Iran.

On November 20 this year, Ismail Khan made the trip to Kabul to talk to the people who had sacked him as governor two months before. In an interview with IWPR, he said he was there at Karzai's invitation to discuss a possible position in the government. He did not say what job he might be offered, but analysts are speculating that it could be a post in the interior ministry, or the ministry of tourism and civil aviation.

Not everyone is enthusiastic about that prospect. While around 600 Herat citizens demonstrated in support of appointing Ismail Khan to the new government, thousands of residents of Shindand, a district in Herat province, protested against the same possibility.

Political analysts agree that including either Ismail Khan or Qanuni in the cabinet could signal that the Karzai administration is weak. But they have differing views on what the fallout would be if either man were named to the cabinet.

Qaim Babak, chief editor of the Jahan magazine in Mazar-e-Sharif, said that the inclusion of either man would be perceived as a betrayal of public trust.

According to Babak, the Afghan people demonstrated in October 9 elections that they no longer wanted an Afghanistan under the sway of powerful commanders and their proxies.

"I don't believe that the international community and Karzai would commit such a treacherous act," he said.

Mohammad Qasim Akhgar, a prominent political analyst, agreed, saying figures like Qanuni and Ismail Khan are too much associated with Afghanistan's past of factional fighting and warlords.

"If we have a cabinet based on the compromises of the past, than we will have a cabinet that has no authority," he said.

The Human Rights Research and Advocacy Consortium, a group of Afghan and international rights monitors, recently conducted a survey that showed Afghans have a strong desire to see militia groups disarmed. The grouping - which includes CARE International, Oxfam and Save the Children - concluded in a report that the time has come for the Karzai administration to stop making deals with the commanders.

The US-based advocacy group Humans Rights Watch sent an open letter to Karzai on December 3, congratulating him for dismissing Ismail Khan and another provincial governor, Gul Agha Shirzai, and welcoming the removal of Marshal Mohammad Qasim Fahim as defence minister.

The group urged Karzai to take advantage of an opportunity to create a new cabinet of well-qualified, professional individuals who were not tainted by participation in factional warfare.

Many ordinary Afghans are just as worried about the new cabinet.

Mahboba, a teacher at the Fatima Balkhi high school in Mazar-e-Sharif, said, "We want Hamed Karzai to name a professional cabinet, not bring back the old familiar faces."

Rauf Khoram, a student at the city’s Balkh university, agreed, "Ismail Khan, Mohammad Younis Qanuni and other people have [already] received more than they deserved from the people of Afghanistan for the services they performed during the jihad years.”

Khoram added he feared Qanuni and Ismail Khan might revert to old habits from Afghanistan's decade of civil war.

Wahidullah Shams, another resident of Mazar-e-Sharif, said the mujahedin had performed a valuable service during the war against the Soviets, but the time had come to pass the baton to others.

"The Afghan government once required figures like Qanuni and Ismail Khan, because they performed holy war and liberated the country from the Russians," he said. "But now the time has come to name experts to the cabinet; they [Qanuni and Ismail Khan] must not be in the cabinet," he said.

Shamila, a student in Balkh university, said she feared for women's rights under any government that included Ismail Khan.

"People like Ismail Khan are the enemies of women," she said. "Ismail Khan violated women's rights during his rule, and if he participates in the cabinet, what will happen then?"

Mohammad Asghar, a resident of Kabul, said Qanuni's record during the civil war should disqualify him from office, "Qanuni is responsible for killing people, and he should not be in the cabinet.”

Dr Kamran, a doctor in Jalalabad hospital in eastern Afghanistan, put it in stark terms.

"Karzai plus the nation equals success and construction," he said. "Karzai plus warlords equals failure and destruction."

Hafizullah Gardesh is an editor with IWPR in Kabul. Sayed Yaqub Ibrahimi in Mazar-e-Sharif, and Mohammad Jawad Sharifzada and Suhaila Mohseni in Kabul contributed to this report.
========================

SEE ALSO
Karzai Administration 2004- 2009: Cabinet Ministers

A New National Anthem For a New Afghanistan Representing All Ethnic Groups


FURTHER READING
AS New Term Approaches, Bush Admin Confronts Old Problems in SW & Central Asia

An Island Named Kabul: Trickle-Up Economics & Westernization In Karzai's Afghanistan

Who Rules Afghanistan

[Shadower]

So who rules the other half of Afghanistan not mentioned in the map?

[<Pathan>]

i do

[Mowlana Vector]

AFGHANISTAN - HELL OF A NATION
==> 2 February 2005, 8:30PM (SBS TV)

"As Afghanistan struggles for self-government, this documentary goes behind the scenes in the lead-up to the first-ever direct presidential elections. It follows two aspiring Afghan delegates who face political opposition and physical intimidation as they literally risk their lves to participate in the future of their country. Both labour to deliver their political messages in communities with no mass media and very little infrastructure. The program also examines the frantic preparations of the international and Afghan logistics team as it scrambles to register potential delegates, distribute copies of the newly drafted constitution, and hold elections for delegates. The program provides a rare opportunity to observe the difficulties of defining the role of religion in a new democracy and to witness the practical implementation of nation building in a war-torn country."
(From the US, in English and Pashto, English subtitles)
Source

Afghanistan: Hell of A Nation
(Sunday Telegraph TV Guide Review )
"In the lead-up to the elections in Iraq, this offers a fascinationg insight into the difficulties of introducing democracy to a war-torn Islamic country where the infrastracture has been almost completely destroyed."

[Mowlana Vector]

Chaotic, challenging, funny (those heated constitution draft/discussion sessions ) yet inspiring ... A good doco ... and no doubt more formidable challenges ahead for this "hell of a nation"

Insh'Allahkhair

[WarriorEtte]

Afghan President Appoints Dostum Chief Of Staff



Afghan President Appoints Dostum Chief Of Staff
Prague, 1 March 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai today appointed a regional commander, General Abdul Rashid Dostum, as his personal military adviser.


Presidential spokesman Jawed Ludin said Dostum has been named chief of staff to the commander in chief -- a post held by Karzai.

Dostum's forces in northern Afghanistan helped the U.S. military oust the Taliban in late 2001.

Dostum came fourth in last October's presidential poll. In January, he narrowly escaped injury when a suicide bomber blew himself up in Dostum's hometown of Shiberghan.

(RFE/RL's Afghan Service/Reuters)

[WarriorEtte]

Posted on Wed, Mar. 02, 2005

Afghan leader names first female governor

Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan - President Hamid Karzai appointed Afghanistan's first female provincial governor, an official said Wednesday, a step toward reviving women's rights trampled by the former hardline Taliban government.

Habiba Sarobi, a former women's minister, becomes governor of central Bamiyan province, Interior Ministry spokesman Latfullah Mashal said. "It has been approved by the president's office today," he said.

"Today is a very good day for me," Sarobi said. "It is another important step toward women's rights in Afghanistan."

She said she would meet senior officials in the coming days to discuss when she would take up her post in the heart of the Hindu Kush mountains.

Millions of women and girls have returned to work and school since the fall of the Taliban in late 2001. Equality before the law is embedded in a new constitution, and some women have abandoned the head-to-toe public veiling that was mandatory under the tough Islamic regime.

Seats are also reserved for women in the two-chamber parliament to be installed by elections this year.

However, conservative custom still confines most rural women to the home, and health services to alleviate high levels of maternal and infant mortality are being extended only slowly. Karzai has also been criticized for including only three women in his nearly 30-member Cabinet.

[WarriorEtte]

Quote

My name is Malalai Joya from Farah Province. By the permission of the esteemed attendees, and by the name of God and the colored-shroud martyrs of the path of freedom, I would like to speak for couple of minutes.

My criticism on all my compatriots is that why are they allowing the legitimacy and legality of this Loya Jerga come under question with the presence of those felons who brought our country to this state. I feel pity and I feel very sorry that those who call Loya Jerga an infidel basis equivalent to blasphemy after coming here their words are accepted, or please see the committees and what people are whispering about. The chairman of every committee is already selected. Why do you not take all these criminals to one committee so that we see what they want for this nation. These were those who turned our country into the nucleus of national and international wars. They were the most anti-women people in the society who wanted to [makes pause] who brought our country to this state and they intend to do the same again. I believe that it is a mistake to test those already being tested. They should be taken to national and international court. If they are forgiven by our people, the bare- footed Afghan people, our history will never forgive them. They are all recorded in the history of our country. Sebaghatullah Mojedadi, Chairman of Loya Jirga asked Joya to leave the meeting

Loya Jirga Meeting, Kabul, Afghanistan

[Mowlana Vector]

Just adding some more info on top of Warriorette's post

How come a liberated bikini-clad Afghan Woman gets more coverage than an outspoken oppressed hijabi one?



Quote

Joya Speech Breaks Wall of Silence

Some think so highly of Joya that they want to give her the title of "the second Malalai". Malalai is a famous 19th century Afghan woman who is credited with turning the tide in the battle of Maiwand, against the British. When the morning of the battle began with numerous casualties and Afghans began surrendering or running away, Malalai took up a sword to fight the British herself, singing an Afghan song, and inspired her countrymen to keep fighting. Joya's foes, however, believe that her words were an offence to Islam and jihad.

Read the rest here...




Text of Remarks By Malalai Joya, Sayyaf, and Mojadidi
Loya Jirga Meeting, Kabul, Afghanistan
(17 December, 2003)

Malalai Joya, the voice of Afghan women and people



Audio/Video of the Speech

My name is Malalai Joya from Farah Province. By the permission of the esteemed attendees, and by the name of God and the colored-shroud martyrs of the path of freedom, I would like to speak for couple of minutes.

My criticism on all my compatriots is that why are they allowing the legitimacy and legality of this Loya Jerga come under question with the presence of those felons who brought our country to this state.

I feel pity and I feel very sorry that those who call Loya Jerga an infidel basis equivalent to blasphemy after coming here their words are accepted, or please see the committees and what people are whispering about. The chairman of every committee is already selected. Why do you not take all these criminals to one committee so that we see what they want for this nation. These were those who turned our country into the nucleus of national and international wars. They were the most anti-women people in the society who wanted to [makes pause] who brought our country to this state and they intend to do the same again. I believe that it is a mistake to test those already being tested. They should be taken to national and international court. If they are forgiven by our people, the bare- footed Afghan people, our history will never forgive them. They are all recorded in the history of our country. Sebaghatullah Mojedadi, Chairman of Loya Jirga asked Joya to leave the meeting



[Mojadedi in Dari] That is enough. Thank you. You had asked for three minutes which is now over. Sister, I have been saying since the beginning that all sayings should be courteous and expressed in a good manner. No one should be insulted, and if you have any complaints you could submit your written complaints to the secretaries of the Jerga and we will then follow them up.

[someone in the background in Dari] Mr Chairman, kindly give me two minutes!

[An indistinct voice of someone sitting close by to the Chairman in Pashto]

[Mojadedi replying to him in Pashto] I just did not understand her words, and what she said.

[The indistinct voice of the same person sitting by Mojadedi in Pashto] She hit a hard blow to the reputation of Jihadi people saying they are treacherous and [voice very low and indistinct]

[noise in the background]

[Mojadedi] Have your seats please.

[Mojadedi] Please let go. Our sister said something, but you people have patience and endure her.

[Continuous sound of noise and people yelling and shouting]

[Mojadedi] Sister, look what have you done. you raised everyone. Do you think one should say such words to affront everyone and disappoint all. You made a mistake.



[Sayaf's voice in Dari] Hello, Hello. Salam o alaicum. Dear brothers! In the name of almighty, Most gracious, Most compassionate.

Brothers! I request you to have your seats please for I would like to speak to you for five minutes. Please have your seats. Everyone sit on their places. I request you all to take your seats. [constant request from the attendees to have their seats].

[starts his speech] In the name almighty Allah, Most gracious, Most merciful.

Sayyf, a criminal fundamentalist leader spoke against Joya By the permission of the Chairman of the Jerga, I only have a few words, and I request my brothers to please pay heed. Brothers! We have all gathered here for a very holy and important mission. In my short speech, yesterday too, I remarked that our sayings should progress in an environment of brotherhood, friendliness and peace.

I believe that there will be people intending this gathering to fail. The failure of this gathering is the failure of all nation which will reflect the lack of talent, competency [word in Arabic: Al ayazu bellah] the imprudence of our nation to the people [of the world]. We have achievements that have surprised both history and humanity. This courageous and brave nation crushed and scattered the Superpower, which had shaken the world, to pieces with the strike of their swords. [People voicing Islamic slogans]

Another request I have is that my brothers should not rise from their places supporting my words. If you want to welcome my words whether with applause or slogans, please do not rise from your seats.

One of the duties of those who have sympathy for this nation, and for these oppressed and helpless people, is to secure the peace and tranquility of this gathering. If people want to disorder it, we should not let them do so. Yesterday during my statements I remarked that our disputes and our discourse and conversations should not be be inconsistent with Islamic and humanitarian ethics and moral. These Mojaheddin [video showed pointing at himself by putting his hand on his chest] who gave two million martyrs for the freedom of this country had such an extended heart and determination who after their return [from Jehad] did not hang even one of the Russian slave.

The Chairman of this gathering, Mr Mojadedi, himself announced their amnesty. Those were exempted from punishment who could not have been forgiven by the history, religion, nation, and the customs and ethnicities of humanity throughout the history.

But this amnesty was proclaimed for the interest of our nation, for the clashes not to continue and for the calamities and oppressions not to aggregate. Not even forgiveness, but they again even entered the political sphere, and are benefiting their political rights. Possibly they were members of central communist committees, but they were allowed to participate in these elections. They came and are probably present in this assembly too. These all indicate the broadmindedness, liberalism and expanded horizons of the perspective of Moslems.

If despite the existence of these facts, you rise and call the true Ghazis of Islam and those who granted freedom to this nation from the mouth of the red dragon, felons and criminals, this itself is a crime. [Islamic slogans voiced by people]

I would not like to prolong my speech. This mission is for the house of this nation. This duty is conducted for the nation, and to fail this mission is wished by the aliens, enemies and others slaves here.

Anyone making any remark that harms the reputation of those who represent Islam, those who are the pride of the history of humanity, [Mojaheddin] in fact, want to fail this mission. You recognize your nation. 95 per cents selected representatives of your nation are Mojaheddin. What does this mean? This means that Jehad has formed the basis of this nation. I therefore request all brothers to observe manners and ethics while speaking. They should never speak a word to damage the reputation of the confronting party, or even a single attendee of this assembly. Each individual attendee of this Jerga is responsible for the peace, success and completion of this process. Therefore, I request my brothers that even if they hear anything sarcastic, don't rise from your seats. Please submit your written requests and the Chairman who will give you the permission. Give your respond to swears with respect. Your reply to sarcastic statements should be in manner to enter the hearts of people. You could observe that two or three harming statements were about to disappoint the whole nation. Thus, I strongly request you to observe the order of the gathering, and any sarcastic and damaging statements should be avoided. One another request I have from the Chairman of the Jerga, his Excellency Hazrat Saheb [Mjadedi] is when a sentence is sarcastic, damaging and ironical, the speaker's microphone should be disconnect, and should not be allowed to continue.

Hazrat Saheb [mojadedi] will himself reply on your behalf. Since we have selected him and trust him and our request is that the chairing commission and Hazrat Saheb should reply on behalf of the attendees. Peace, ethics, manners should be observed and we should all give hands in hand and not let this process fail which disgrace us to the world and nation. [words in Arabic : Wasalam o alaicum wa rahmatullah- e wa barakatohu]

[Mojadedi] Thank you very much, Ustad.

[Mojadadi] This sister did impertinence and was out of the frame of humanity. I tell the gathering to expel her from the meeting and she can't attend the discussions. Go out. Security officer, security, take her outside.

Set down in your seats please. No. She should not be forgiven. Will not forgive her….

Brothers and sisters, some sisters beg to forgive her, saying she will not repeat the same attitude.

[A woman from meeting] She is a child like your daughter, forgive her.

[Mojadadi] She is Kafur…. Oh enough go and let me…

[Mojadadi] Due to intercession of some brothers and sisters, this time she was forgiven from expelling. But if she repeat a word against the will [of the meeting] and protest against Jehadi personalities, she will see what may happen to her. Now set down in your seats.

[A woman from meeting] She has been motivated by someone. She is small and her sense is not working fine.

[A jehadi from audience] The sister should come here and apology otherwise it is impossible…

[Mojadadi] This brother has a good suggestion and says that the sister should come here and apology and do penitence not to repeat her words; otherwise they will not forgive her. Come here sister, come and apology.

Oh you sill do not apology? You did a very bad act. Oh my God she even does not apology.

Anyway brothers, it would be good if she apology… if not she will not be allowed to attend the meeting next time…. She is not small… impertinence… Infidel.

Source

SEE ALSO: Media Coverage of Joya's Remarks and Activities
======================================================

[WarriorEtte]

Lol thanks bro

next time ill just copy the whole article instead lol

[WarriorEtte]

Can U believe the same guy America was fighting against in the early 90's In the Mujahid\Soviet War also labelled a terriorist a communist and one of the most brutal warlords has been appointed as cheif of staff by Hamid Karzia

Whats goin on???

=============================================

US silent on appointment of Afghan warlord to army post

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States kept silent on the move by Afghan President Hamid Karzai to give a feared warlord a top army post, saying the nomination was an internal matter.

The State Department refused to be drawn into a polemic on Karzai's choice of General Abdul Rashid Dostam as chief of staff of the high command of the Afghan armed forces.


"This is a matter for President Karzai to decide. It's an internal matter of the Afghan government," department spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters.


He said that Karzai's fundamental task was to extend the central government's control throughout the country, bringing regional leaders under the aegis of Kabul.


"How he goes about that is really a matter for him to decide," Boucher said.


Dostam's appointment was likely to alarm rights groups that have been critical of the conduct of his troops and his bombing of Kabul during the country's civil war from 1992 to 1995.



Source

======================================================

[Mowlana Vector]

Warriorette, on Mar 5 2005, 04:00 PM, said:

Can U believe the same guy America was fighting against in the early 90's In the Mujahid\Soviet War also labelled a terriorist a communist and one of the most brutal warlords has been appointed as cheif of staff by Hamid Karzia 

...





Quote

Whats goin on???

Well, nothing much ... I mean nothing new really, Dostum, Chalabi, and Allawi ...

So, lets not forget to thank Uncle Dubya & his freedom-lovin crusading pals, for trying their best to get rid of all the tyrants and unsavory characters of the Mid-East ...

[Gforce]

Afghanistan ignoring women’s rights: minister

KABUL: Afghanistan’s constitution grants equal rights to both men and women, but people in many parts of this deeply traditional Islamic society are not ready to accept it, a women’s ministry official said on Sunday.

In the last six months there were at least 500 documented cases of women being forced into marriage, which is illegal under both Afghan and Shari law, said Soray Sobhrang, deputy minister of women’s affairs.

"More than 20 years of war have damaged the morality of people and people in Afghanistan are not ready to accept 100 per cent implementation of the law," she said.

Three years after the fall of the Taliban she said "unfair customs and existing traditions" remain major barriers for the advancement of women and a cause of "early marriage."

In many parts of rural Afghanistan, tribal law holds sway and women are forced into marriage, married while they are still children and traded between families to settle honour debts.

More than a quarter-century of war has left the country a wash with weaponry, and with militia commanders controlling many of the provinces many women feel insecure, Sobhrang said.

With around 90 per cent of women unable to read, implementing laws granting them equal rights was difficult in the face of Afghan tradition, she added.

"See the activities and achievements we have: now the doors are open for women in the educational area, we have employment facilities, we even have three ministers in the cabinet," she said.

But she admitted most of the achievements were "limited to the capital "Kabul and more work was needed to advance women’s rights in the provinces.

President Hamid Karzai made history last week when he appointed former women’s minister Habibi Surabi as the first women governor of central Bamiyan province.

[WarriorEtte]

Afghan Demonstrations Test Warlords-Turned-Administrators
By Amin Tarzi



Demonstrations rocked two of Afghanistan's five largest cities on 7 March -- Kandahar in the south and Mazar-e Sharif in the north. While the reasons behind these protests varied and the central government's response to them was markedly different, one factor connects the incidents: the presence of former warlords acting as governors of the two provinces.

According to a statement by the Afghan Interior Ministry on 7 March, Kandahar residents took to the streets in protest over "security issues and child kidnapping." The central government made a quick and high-level response to the incident, sending Interior Minister Ali Ahmad Jalali to Kandahar on 8 March. An Interior Ministry spokesman said President Hamid Karzai is very concerned about recent abductions and overall insecurity in Kandahar and dispatched Jalali to personally investigate the situation.

The demonstrations, in which people chanted slogans against the United States and in support of the ousted Taliban regime, must have had a deja vu effect in Kabul's circles of power. After all, it was popular disgust with insecurity in Kandahar that propelled the Taliban onto the political scene in 1994. The Taliban later became instruments of foreign powers and international terrorist organizations, but their initial popularity stemmed from their ability to stop kidnappings, rapes and assaults on civilians by warlords or gangs who exploited the lack of security provided by the central government.

Demonstrators in Mazar-e Sharif, the administrative capital of Balkh Province, were demanding the resignation of Balkh Governor Ata Mohammad Nur and the dismissal of Sayyed Habib, the head of the community section of Balkh's health department. The protesters claimed that Nur has usurped people's land and that the health department has fired doctors without legitimate cause.
Both Balkh and Kandahar provinces are governed by former warlords who have been absorbed into the government structure, but who have remained in the same geographical area over which they exercised power through their private militias.


It remains unclear whether Kabul has intervened in or commented on the demonstrations in Mazar-e Sharif. Certainly, no high-level investigative team has been dispatched to the north.

Nur, called "the founder of democracy" by state-owned Balkh Television, said in an interview on 7 March that the protesters were "stupid people" who misused democracy and had come to Mazar-e Sharif from neighboring provinces. Nur also dismissed the charges that he has taken people's land and claimed the dismissed doctors were lazy.

"I will not let anyone take their pushcarts to the streets and impose their wishes on me by staging rallies. This cannot happen. If they have documents, I ask them to come to me. I am sure the crimes of those who have organized the demonstration will be revealed one day," Nur added.

Back in Kandahar, the security situation -- particularly the kidnapping of children for ransom or sexual assault -- has been deteriorating. According to a BBC report from Kandahar, an average of one child is kidnapped per week. There are fears, however, that the real number is much higher as some parents do not to report kidnappings for fear of reprisals or out of shame if their child has been a victim of sexual assault.

Kandahar's worsening security may be linked to an array of issues, such as the increasing dominance of drug lords in the province; lack of resources devoted to personal security as the hunt for neo-Taliban militants continues; and the shifting of focus by some groups from militancy to criminality.

However, both Balkh and Kandahar provinces are governed by former warlords who have been absorbed into the government structure, but who have remained in the same geographical area over which they exercised power through their private militias.

Nur formerly commanded Military Corps No. 7, which in 2002 and 2003 battled forces loyal to General Abdul Rashid Dostum's Junbish-e Melli-ye Islami party in northern Afghanistan. Karzai appointed Nur as Balkh governor in August 2004, apparently in exchange for his agreeing to hand over some of the heavy weapons in his possession (see "RFE/RL Afghanistan Report," 5 August 2004). Nur's militia, though officially dismantled, continues to be the main force in Balkh.

Gul Agha Sherzai served as Kandahar governor from late 2001 until August 2003, when in an effort to improve security there and reduce the power of local warlords, Karzai replaced him with Mohammad Yusof Pashtun. Sherzai was called to Kabul to serve as minister of urban development, but reportedly rejected the offer and remains idle. Under Pashtun's administration, the overall security situation in Kandahar took at sharp turn for the better. However, in the latest Afghan cabinet reshuffle in December 2004, Sherzai was reappointed as governor of Kandahar with an added, albeit symbolic, portfolio of minister adviser to Karzai (see "RFE/RL Afghanistan Report," 30 December 2004).


Gul Agha Sherzai

So far, the most successful transformation of a former warlord to a central government administrator has been the case of Mohammad Ismail Khan, who ruled the western Herat Province until his dismissal and later appointment in December as energy minister (see "RFE/RL Afghanistan Report," 22 January 2005). Ismail Khan not only no longer rules Herat, but he has proven to be a good administrator in Kabul.

In the absence of any clear-cut method to disenfranchise warlords, commanders and their like, the best way to absorb them into Afghanistan's central administrative system seems to be to remove them from their geographical zones of power. The situation in Balkh and certainly in Kandahar suggests that leaving local strongmen in their strongholds does not lead to better security
in those regions.

Source

[WarriorEtte]

Finally a Minister who wasnt a previous War Lord..

Also Ran for Mr Karzai's seat in 2004 Elections

Hands together For Ms Jalal

Profile of Afghanistan's Minister of Women's Affairs, Massouda Jalal

A woman who might be called a mother of her country visited New York City and Washington as part of the International Women's Day observances. Carolyn Weaver has a profile of Afghanistan's minister of women's affairs Massouda Jalal.




It was a week of meetings for Massouda Jalal, both with old friends and new allies of Afghanistan's post-Taleban government. Now in charge of women's affairs for the government of President Hamed Karzai, Dr. Jalal met with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and First Lady Laura Bush, together with her counterpart in the Iraqi government, women's affairs minister Narmin Othman.



"This is a great pleasure to be with all of you this evening," Dr. Jalal said.



Massouda Jalal is a pediatrician who continued her work helping women and children during the Taleban regime - work for which the Taleban briefly jailed her. When the regime fell, Dr. Jalal became active in politics, and last fall ran for president in a country where only a few years ago, women could not even appear in public without a male escort. This is what she said two years ago.



"I am campaigning right now, I am going to the provinces, sitting with people, but I don't have money, I am not a rich person," she said. "But that doesn't mean that I shouldn't use my political right. I am independent, I don't belong to any party, or to any political organization of this country - that doesn't mean that I am not powerful. I have the good reaction of people; I have the perception and accepting of people with me. And that is real democracy."



Today, she says, security and resources are her country's challenges. Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world, with very high rates of infant and maternal mortality. But its laws no longer stand in the way of women's health and social progress:





"In the new constitution of Afghanistan, equality of rights of men and women has been incorporated. It is guaranteed. All the negative traditional practices have been stopped, which discriminated against women. And we will have 25 percent of parliament members [who are] women, in forthcoming Parliament. That is guaranteed in the new constitution of Afghanistan. So we have good values for women in the new constitution of Afghanistan," she said.



Unlike other Afghan political leaders, Dr. Jalal has never been connected to warlords. The mother of three children, she says her country, after decades of war, also needs a mother:



"I thought the Afghanistan people after the 23 years of many type of suffering, they need somebody to give them kindness, to give them love, to give them sympathy, to give them trust, confidence, and to treat their wounds, to give them easier life, to be helpful to people, to be honest to people," she said. "Somebody who belongs to the community, who knows everything, who experienced all the pains by [in] her bones, can come up and say that, well, I am here to provide you with what you need. So this was one of the stimulations for why I started struggling, and wishing I could gain their trust and their votes, to be able to sacrifice myself for their benefits and for their wellbeing, for making them able to use their rights fully as human beings, and to experience a better, easier life."




Will she run for president again?



"If the people of Afghanistan want, if the men, women and youth want, I want to sacrifice myself for them, whatever the need of the country is," she said.

Source

[WarriorEtte]

Rice Visit to Afghanistan Marred by Bomb in South


Lol dnt they make a cute couple..

By Saul Hudson
KABUL (Reuters) - A bomb blast in southern Afghanistan killed at least five people on Thursday as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a one-day trip, pledging long-term U.S. commitment to support Afghanistan's transition to democracy.

Rice spoke proudly of the progress Afghanistan had made since U.S. forces helped the Afghan opposition oust the Taliban militia in late 2001, after its leaders refused to surrender Osama bin Laden following the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.

"We have a long-term commitment to this country," Rice told a joint news conference with President Hamid Karzai, before flying back to Islamabad for further talks with Pakistani leaders.

A Taliban-inspired insurgency in the country has faded over the past few months.

Thursday's blast killed five people in the former Taliban stronghold of Kandahar, 290 miles southwest of the capital. It was the worst bomb attack since August.

More than 30 people were wounded. A senior security officer blamed Taliban loyalists for the attack, but a Taliban spokesman denied responsibility.

Rice, on her first visit to Kabul, said the United States would stick by the Afghan government as it sought to bring peace and stability after decades of violence going back to the Soviet invasion in 1979.

"We learned the hard way what it meant not to have a long-term commitment," she said, referring to how Washington abandoned Afghanistan once Soviet troops withdrew in 1989 leaving al Qaeda to establish bases there.

Asked for her reaction to the House of Representatives passing a bill on Wednesday that cut $636 million from Afghanistan's reconstruction and counter narcotics programs, Rice said the process was not over and the administration would work with Congress to ensure Afghanistan received what it needed.

The U.S. administration sees Afghanistan as a foreign policy success. After throwing out the Taliban, it set the country on the path to its first democratic presidential election in 2004, which Karzai easily won.

Karzai was earlier handpicked by Washington to head a transitional government after the fall of the Taliban



and heres Abdullah x 2