PESHAWAR—Before returning to power, Afghanistan’s current rulers presented a different vision of the country’s future. During negotiations in Qatar, they sought to assure Afghans and the international community that they had learned from the past and changed their approach.
They spoke of justice, tolerance, responsibility and the rights of all Afghans.
Nearly five years later, however, Afghanistan’s future must be judged not by promises and slogans, but by actions and results.
The first foundation of any stable political system is justice.
No government can sustain itself through force, decrees and fear alone. When people must move from one court or institution to another simply to secure their rights, public trust gradually weakens.
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Fair and impartial justice must be accessible to everyone. The law should apply equally to the powerful and the weak, government officials and ordinary citizens alike.
When the grievances of ordinary people are ignored or delayed, a growing distance develops between society and those in power. Addressing public complaints and strengthening the judicial system should therefore be among the highest priorities of Afghanistan’s governing authorities.
Girls’ education is vital to Afghanistan’s future
Alongside justice, girls’ education remains one of Afghanistan’s most serious challenges.
Education is a fundamental right of every Afghan boy and girl. It is also essential to the country’s economic and social future.
The world is advancing rapidly in medicine, engineering, science, economics, artificial intelligence and new technologies. Restricting the education of millions of Afghan girls means denying Afghanistan access to a large part of its own human potential.
A country cannot rebuild itself through ignorance. Afghanistan needs knowledge, education, professional expertise and a generation equipped to meet the demands of the modern world.
The question of girls’ education is closely connected to another major concern: the loss of Afghanistan’s intellectual and professional capital.
Doctors, engineers, teachers, scientists, specialists, civil servants, educated young people and professional women are among Afghanistan’s most valuable resources.
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If these people remain unemployed, feel threatened or humiliated, or are forced to leave the country, the consequences extend far beyond individual families.
Afghanistan loses skills that have taken decades to develop.
A responsible system should retain its professionals, respect merit and create opportunities for qualified Afghans to contribute to national development. The country cannot afford to push away the very people whose knowledge is needed for reconstruction.
Criticism should not be treated as disloyalty
Another challenge is the culture of accusations, humiliation, character assassination and excessive flattery.
In a healthy society, disagreement and criticism are natural. Governments need people who can point out mistakes and identify problems before they become crises.
Lies, baseless allegations, insults and attacks on personal dignity, however, serve neither society nor government. They are also inconsistent with the principles of dignity, responsibility and mutual respect that should guide public life.
Those seeking proximity to power by defaming or humiliating others can ultimately damage the system they claim to support.
Flatterers may tell rulers what they want to hear, but they can also isolate them from reality. When leaders hear only praise, the distance between government and people becomes wider.
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Afghanistan’s greatest challenges may come from within
Afghanistan’s history offers an important lesson: the greatest threat to a political system is not always an armed opponent.
Injustice, arrogance, ignored grievances, intolerance of criticism, sidelining capable people, rewarding flatterers and undermining people’s dignity can weaken a system from within.
A government may appear powerful while public confidence quietly declines.
People’s silence should not automatically be interpreted as consent. Citizens observe, evaluate and remember. History also records the consequences of political decisions.
For the Afghan people, the standard of judgment should therefore be actions and results rather than personalities, emotional slogans or propaganda.
The important questions are straightforward:
- How much justice has been ensured?
- Is people’s dignity being protected?
- Why are Afghan girls still deprived of education?
- Why are professionals and educated young people leaving the country?
- Can ordinary citizens obtain their legal rights without unnecessary obstacles?
- Is Afghanistan moving towards greater knowledge, economic development and international engagement, or further away from them?
These are questions of national interest, not simply political disagreement.
These concerns are not a call for war or revenge. Nor are they a call for Afghans to turn against one another.
They are a call for reform, justice, education, national reconciliation and protection of Afghanistan’s future.
Afghanistan has experienced decades of conflict. Its people do not need another war. They need the rule of law, knowledge, tolerance, consultation, economic opportunity and the restoration of public trust.
The country’s future depends on whether its governing authorities can respond to these needs.
There is still an opportunity for change
The opportunity for reform has not disappeared.
Instead of force, political monopolisation and misplaced arrogance, Afghanistan needs reason, justice, knowledge, tolerance and national consensus.
The legitimate demands of the people must be heard. The doors of education should be reopened to girls. Afghanistan’s professional and academic communities should be given meaningful opportunities to serve the country.
People’s dignity must be protected, and the law must be applied equally to everyone.
These are not demands for one political group alone. They are essential conditions for building a stable and prosperous Afghanistan.
Afghanistan belongs to all Afghans
Afghanistan is not the personal property of any one group. It is the common home of all Afghans.
The future of this country should not be sacrificed for the interests of one ideology, one group or short-term political ambitions.
Power is never permanent.
But the judgment of the people, the memory of a nation and the accountability of history remain.
For Afghanistan, the real test is no longer what its rulers promised before coming to power. The real test is whether their actions can deliver justice, education, dignity, opportunity and public trust to the people they govern.
