Chapter 2 continues…

The Nangarhar Shura in Jalalabad headed by Governor Haji Qadeer had been successful and had maintained a political balance and peace in the region. Similarly, the areas controlled by Ismael Khan’s Jamiat-i-Islami in the Herat province and adjoining areas, had encountered little trouble. However, Hekhmatyar’s Hizb-i- Islami had little share in power of the provinces yet had a mass following in most of the provinces of the fragmented country. Understandably, he had often argued in favour of elections rather than a tribal solution.

The party of Hekhmatyar was the most ruthless and destructive and that the CIA and ISI had favoured Hekhmatyar over more moderate mujahideen groups. This had resulted in the rise of anarchy and extremism in Afghanistan, which provided a fertile petridish for the growth of the Taleban.

The situation in the post–Soviet withdrawal era was witness to the death and injuries of Afghans and the destruction in Afghanistan in the first four months of 1994 was considered to be worse than what the country had suffered during the years of Soviet occupation. The crisis deepened further when President Rabbani refused to step down after the expiry of his term and reiterated that holding of elections in Afghanistan at that point of time was not a realistic option and that something akin to the Loya Jirga could not break the impasse. Rabbani’s refusal to step down and Hekhmatyar’s determination to see him go led to furthur bloodshed.

On the other hand, UN Special Peace Mission headed by Ambassador Mahmoud Mestiri failed to bring the warring factions to the negotiating table in September 1994. As a result, the Mujahideen leaders had demonstrated a disquieting low level of their commitment to peace and the well-being of the civilians who lived in a constant state of fear and suffering. Hence, they lost their credibility and furthur injured a nation that had lost too many and suffered so much for their personal, ideological, and ethnic ambitions.

Thus ‘the cycle of violence and the massive mobilization of the nation in an unclear direction with no popular leadership continued.

To be continued…