VILE FOREIGN INTERFERENCE IN ELECTIONS

KABUL: (MEP) – ELECTION politics in Afghanistan shouldn’t turn into a family business, and more importantly, shouldn’t be riddled by foreign influence and meddling. Afghanistan should no more be a hunting ground for the world and regional players to pursue their strategic and foreign policy games. It shouldn’t be considered as part of the grand chessboard anymore. None should try to crown their favorites to rule the fatigued nation of Afghanistan. Once foreign interference is suppressed, Afghanistan will be unchained from the grip of instability; and nothing would stop Afghans from achieving their most desired goals – peace, stability and democracy. UNAMA Chief Jan Kubis in Kabul said on Wednesday that no international meddling will be tolerated in Saturday’s presidential and provincial elections, and that the Afghan nation should use this opportunity to share their future according to their own dreams and aspirations.

In the aftermath of Afghanistan’s descent into chaos in early 80s, the world inexorably watched Afghans suffer relentlessly and borne bloody civil war characterized by atrocities and ruthlessness. They suffer because of foreign interferences. But, the past shouldn’t be repeated this time around. Everyone knows things have been too bad for this country. We are depressed and petrified by a constant threat of the Taliban. Nowhere is safe. From worship centers to schools, from hospitals to military barracks, from sports complex to restaurants, there is no safety at all, none is secure at all. Those who kill us in their futile war are from among us, but those who engineer this war are foreigners. Everybody is scared of losing their life or job. Banks are going bust, shopkeepers are haunted by bomb blasts and terror attacks, and punks are running wild in the streets, and there is no body anywhere who seems to know what to do, and how to reverse the repercussions of the 1990s times. There is no still no end in sight to the bloody war that is taking a heavy toll on the nation in men and material for the past 30-plus years. We know the environment is still unfit for peace talks, because those who don’t want peace in this country are not letting the Afghan Taliban to be on the table of talks with the Afghan government. When we are back at homes from offices we think something good will be there to watch on TV, but all of sudden a newscaster appears on screen with a breaking news. And the news is violence. We know that we are still miles and miles away from our desired goal—peace, but what we can do is to keep continue our journey, and it’s to show a good turnout out on the April 5. Let’s make this polling day a momentous and historic day. Let’s throw away the violent mindset and tell those who support it that we are a nation now with zero tolerance to foreign interferences. When there is an end to this evil trend—foreign meddling, then see how soon things start changing, and how soon we become equally at par with other developed nations of the world. It’s all about opportunities and we are denied our opportunities by some international and regional players just for the sake that in our failure they see their own opportunities. But we as nation will not sustain it anymore.