Afghanistan Times
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AT-KABUL: An analysis session held by the Rana Think Tank, called the current government weaker comparing the past administrations, saying that mistakes in the serving government are much more than experienced in the monarchy and the administrations after that.
Abdul Jabbar Taqwa, former Kabul provincial governor who now heads the Afghanistan Governors’ Association (AGA), said that political and social situation during late Zahir Shah’s monarchy (1933-1973) was stable.
“We had a self-sufficient administration in Zahir Shah’s reign,” said Taqwa, who has served in the military during the monarchy. “Our national budget was provided from our incomes.”
He added Afghanistan’s political and military power was the same and even more than its neighboring countries.
Taqwa said that many factories were active at that time that provided job opportunities for the people in different areas.
“The government also ran development projects with the help of the United States and the then Soviet Union,” he said.
Taqwa went on to analyze the first president Mohammad Dawood, saying he kept the situation stable. “Mohammad Dawood was a patriotic person and had good plans for the future of Afghanistan,” he said. “But he committed some mistakes that resulted in the end of his rule.”
He said that the Soviet-backed government (1978-1992) was performing with hurry, without considering people’s beliefs and views. “They put their programs in act at the time that the public minds were not ready to accept,” he said. “Every movement injures itself and the nation if it is not planned and founded thoughtlessly.”
Pointing to Mujahideen, Taqwa said that the Islamic government which was formed in exile had its specific mistakes.
“Mujahideen did not have a strategy and governance plan. Their government that was established in Pakistan was interfered by the Pakistani spy agency,” the former Kabul governor said. “They also lacked skillful and professional people for their government.”
He said that the Mujahideen called on the youth to join the jihad, which left them (the youth) uneducated.
Taqwa believes that the best administration he experienced was Hamid Karzai’s government, despite mistakes it also had. “As Mr. Karzai believes democracy and wants the country to development, he made efforts for the progress of our war-hit country.”
He said that Karzai believed the United States and Pakistan have the Afghan peace key, and discussed a lot to convince them to bring an ever-lasting peace.
Taqwa who is a critic of the Ashraf Ghani government, said that the foreigners decide for the leaders of the national unity government. “Unfortunately foreign hands are playing in the government and the leaders and term of the government is determined by foreigners,” he criticized.
He concluded that Afghans were an independent nation with national sovereignty and powerful military and self-sufficient economy in the past. But there is no sign of those things now. “Unfortunately, Afghans are employed by the foreign embassies to work for them and against their country.”
