|
US Institute of Peace
Peace, Security, and Reconciliation with the Taliban – A discussion with the Honorable Prof. Sibghatullah Al-Mojaddedi, chairman of the Afghan Upper House and former president of the Islamic Government of Afghanistan
By Matthew Plocher
February 08, 2007
At the United States Institute of Peace, Prof. Mojaddedi, chairman of the Afghan Upper House and former president of the Islamic Government of Afghanistan, spoke on Friday about the desperate state of his country, insisting that establishing peace is the most important thing he, or anyone, could accomplish.
For this reason, he said, it is vital to direct more efforts to the reconciliation process with the Taliban. He claimed that 6,000 Taliban fighters had joined the Afghan government, and that more, possibly as many as 500, were waiting in the wings to do so. He asserted that the influence of neighboring states, some of whom are aiding Taliban members, and a lack of funds are the reasons for which more Taliban members have not already turned around.
Prof. Mojaddedi did, however, offer some positive reflections. He said how inspired and encouraged he was by the Afghan people’s rapid acceptance of democracy. He also listed favorable statistics, such as an increase of college and school attendance by both males and females, the increased number of women in the national legislature, and an increase in availability of basic health care.
The Q&A covered a wide variety of subjects concerning both domestic and international politics. The first question was possibly the most important one asked, and concerned the fate of the young condemned reporter Sayed Parwez Kambakhsh.
Prof. Mojaddedi responded by saying that he was opposed to the conviction of the young reporter, and thought it very unfair. Furthermore, he said that his opinion had been misinterpreted by the media, and that anyone who said he had signed the decision to execute the reporter or agreed with the ruling was “a liar.”
However, Mojaddedi still believed that prosecuting a case of blasphemy was acceptable and was not a contradiction to the doctrines of free speech in the Afghan constitution. He declared that the rights of free speech were for political, personal, and societal subjects, but not to be used to criticize Islam. Similarly, when asked if he felt that it was contradictory of the Constitution to promise to follow all international laws and all laws of the Koran, he replied with an unequivocal no.
Other questions led to Mojaddedi saying that the influence of Iran is strong and that the high numbers of Afghans returning to the Taliban is due solely to intimidation.
The final issue discussed was that of poppy farming; a practice that supports a large portion of Afghan farmers, but also supplies the world’s drug market, and Taliban coffers. Prof. Mojaddedi said that a multifaceted approach is needed to solve this problem. Some aggressive slash and burn tactics are necessary, but will be ineffective if not combined with other actions. Local religious leaders must condemn the practice of growing poppy and make it clear that it is not religiously sanctioned and, most importantly, an alternative revenue source must be supplied to the farmers. Mojaddedi believed that establishing some industry and promoting wage labor would work in addition to promoting the growth of other crops such as saffron. |
