Monitoring Desk
KABUL: Terming election as the only way for the legitimacy of the system, President Muhammad Ashraf Ghani said on Saturday that the upcoming presidential and parliamentary polls were final. Addressing a ceremony held in connection with the 26th anniversary of mujahideen at the Presidential Palace, President Ghani said the government would not make any interference in the election. He urged the parliamentarians to avoid making interference in the process.
The slogan of mujahid was not the ownership of anyone rather it belonged to every Afghan citizen who has put efforts between the seventh and eighth of Taurus. He termed the jihad of Afghan people against the former Soviet Union as a major national process, which started in 1357 and ended in 1371.
When the former Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, the president said no analyst could believe that this process would be successful. However, the historic the process became successful due to the determination of the people and by taking lesson from the achievements of the past leaders. People belonging to every walk of life, area and tribe took part in the jihad against the former Soviet Union, he said, adding that this historic achievement should be transferred to the next generations because the same sacrifice was needed in the war on international terrorism in the present day.
About the domestic violence and chaos after the success of jihad, President Muhammad Ashraf Ghani said a harmony existed to defeat the former Soviet Union. However, there was no strategy for the future. No agreement could be reached for the formation of the government. The place of understanding and discussions took place very soon. The opportunity in the hand was turned into weakness. The world was indebted to Afghanistan in the jihad, he said. However, he added that after the success of jihad the world started blaming Afghanistan. The 112-year process of system formation was distributed and violence was started. Everything was destroyed. The system was derailed.
Terming the existing constitution as the outcome of national consensus and welfare, President Ghani said it provided the guideline for the national unity in the future. Lauding the democratic consciousness and thinking of the present generation, the president said the shape of the political system has been defined in the basic constitution. It was high time to strengthen the system, he added. Terming the upcoming parliamentary and presidential election as final and the only way for the legitimacy of the system, he pledged that the government would not make any interference in the polls. He demanded of the parliamentarians to avoid making interference in the process.
About the peace proposal given by the government to Taliban and the announcement of launching spring offensive Al-Khandaq, the president questioned whether the Taliban were aware of the meaning of Ghazwa Khandaq. He asked them as against whom they were fighting jihad and holy war. Is jihad against the religious clerics, mujahideen, women and children legitimate? He termed it as war against the Muslim nation of Afghanistan. The main pretext of the Taliban was the demand of the withdrawal of foreign forces, he said. About 120,000 foreign troops left Afghanistan, he added. However, they did not stop their war, he maintained. The aims of the war of Afghan people and the international community were separate from each other, he said. The purpose of the war of international troops was to provide security to their nations and to save their countries from the future threats. However, the Afghan war was defensive. The purpose of Afghan war was to get rid of the future issues. It was the war for unity, he maintained.
The poor, women and youths were paying the price of the imposed war, he said, adding that the international community termed his peace proposal to Talban as an exemplary and sincere offer. Despite thinking for one month, he said the Taliban had no courage to respond to his offer of peace. Finally, he said they announced war so that the Afghan government would abolish its peace process and announce war. However, no such steps would be taken. He said they were determined for the restoration of peace at every cost. The Afghan troops were praying in the mosques of their military bases every day, he said, adding that they complained that why the media was not declaring the martyred forces as martyrs. He demanded of the political figures to pay attention to the issue and stand by the Afghan security and defence forces.
The ongoing war had no religious legitimacy, he said. Various decrees were issued from Deoband, Makkah and other Islamic organizations against the ongoing war. The decrees would soon be shared with the nation, he added. The government was determined for the restoration of peace, he said. It needed national, logical and international consensus. The elements wanting peace would slowly and gradually turn towards peace. Terming reforms in the government entities as the wish of basic constitution, the president said when conditions rule over links, one Afghan would become equal to another Afghan.
Speaker of Wolesi Jirga, Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi, chairman of Mesharano Jirga, Fazal Hadi Muslimyar, chief of army staff General Muhammad Sharif Yaftali and former president and jihadi figure Hazrat Sibghatullah Mujadidi also addressed the gathering. They lauded the bravery and sacrifices of the Afghan security and defence forces in the war on international terrorism. The former Soviet Union troops invaded Afghanistan about 40 years ago. The Afghan people started jihad against the occupation of the Soviet Union. After rendering millions of sacrifices, the Soviet troops were forced to leave Afghanistan.
