WUNRN
UN
Ready to Assist Afghanistan in Resolving ‘Political Impasse’
Addressing
Afghanistan’s Current Political Impasse Vital for Its Unity and Stability
How
to Save Afghanistan's Democratic Moment - Political Egos &
Manipulative Tactics Must Be Put Aside for a Collaborative Outcome
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AFGHANISTAN POLITICAL IMPASSE THREATENS RIGHTS, PEACE AND DEMOCRACY - FOR WOMEN, FOR ALL
Dr. Massouda Jalal
Founding Chairperson, Jalal Foundation and
Former Minister of Women, the Islamic
Anyone who aspires to lead this troubled
nation must have the capacity and the heart to turn challenges into
opportunities and rise above tribulations.
Unfortunately, the current political impasse in Afghanistan does not
help bring the best out of the contending Afghan presidential bets. Before the eyes of their supporters, Abdallah
Abdallah and Ashraf Ghani continue to display weak statesmanship and little
concern over peoples’ interests.
Many
issues await the new Presidentm, and the international community is packing out
of our borders. Afghans live in
miserable condition and insecurity lurks everywhere. Public services need to be improved and the
last thing that the Afghan people expect is a further deterioration of the
political and insecurity situation. We should be on the road to recovery and
our leaders should lead our people forward rather than drag them to the brink
of further disunity and social fragmentation.
The political
impasse is already causing further divisions, especially along ethnic lines,
and shaking up the fragile pillars of our democracy. It diverts energies and resources away from
many social issues that are equally important, especially to the women,
children, youth, and other marginalized sectors of society. Prolonged uncertainty raises anxieties and
frustrations among our people and these are all counterproductive to the
optimistic visions that both candidates elicited during their campaigns.
At
this point in time, our people expect more from the two presidential hopefuls –
to be act like honorable leaders, come to terms with the issues using peaceful
and legal means, and immediately end the gridlock. For the sake of the people,
they must rise above their differences and strike out a solution that would
allow the political process to move on. The Independent Election Commission
(IEC) should act swiftly on the complaints and advice both candidates to desist
from any action that obstruct or incite the people to cast doubt on the
election results. Likewise, both Abdallah and Ghani should respect the
authority of the IEC and refrain from issuing speculative statements about the
tabulation of the returns.
It
is time to start thinking about healing and working together. We already have so many enemies. Do not force
our citizens to be an enemy to each other.