Unity of Afghans only way of salvation

Wednesday, 23 November 2016 04:41 Written by Heart of Asia Read 360 times

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Efforts to stoke up ethnic and religious tensions in Afghanistan have been intensified, and elements who have failed to incite ethnic divisions and escalate them into a conflict have now resorted to fuel sectarian strife in the country. As part these attempts, a suicide attack targeted a Shia mosque on Monday in Kabul, leaving behind as many as 80 casualties, including women and children, who had gathered to commemorate the end of Al-Arbaeen, the 40-day mourning period of Ashura.

Although Afghanistan briefly witnessed sectarian violence during the civil war, the current situation is incomparable with that time. Afghans who have experienced and suffered from sectarian violence are, on no account, willing to go back to those black days. The people of Afghanistan now know better than ever that unitedness is their only way to salvation.

Attacks such as the Monday mosque bombing in Kabul are mostly viewed as a harbinger and menace of eruption of sectarian violence; however, if Afghan politicians and people exercise tact and wisdom, not only can they thwart the vicious schemes of enemies, but such incidents can also further unite Afghans. Afghans are now sure they are all in the same boat with a shared fate; they will swim together or God forbid will drown together.

Now is the time to test politicians and individuals who describe themselves representatives of the people. Together with the government, these political figures should strive to keep Afghans united by averting divisions because it is the only way to overcome the current problems. Regardless of ethnic and lingual considerations, they should inform the people that Afghans face a common enemy who should also be fought against as one. Blame game rather deepens the woes, and is, in a way, “pouring water into the enemy’s watermill” to accomplish their goals. It is time to stand out against the common enemy with one voice irrespective of political, sectarian, lingual and ethnic differences. Afghans need unanimity and fraternity more than ever and more than anything else to pass and emerge triumphant from this formidable and historic try-out.

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The SCO; the opportunity for regional consensus

Regional consensus is essential for the settlement of Afghan conflict. It is widely believed that it is certainly difficult, if not impossible, to bring peace to Afghanistan without the cooperation of regional states. The events after the ouster of the Taliban regime proved that coordination among regional and global powers is imperative for stability in Afghanistan. When the US-led Western coalition deployed troops in Afghanistan, all regional nations welcomed the decision hoping that it will neutralize the threat of terrorism originating from Afghanistan. That led to a relative stability in the country for the first few years. Later on, Pakistan resorted to playing a destructive role. Now in addition to Pakistan, other regional states have also become suspicious of American goals in Afghanistan, and they publicly declare their stance on the issue. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a good platform to forge a regional consensus on Afghanistan. The influence of the powerful member states of SCO over Afghanistan cannot be ignored. India and Pakistan were also granted full membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in its this year summit. The move will further increase the significance of SCO in building a regional consensus on Afghanistan because Delhi and Islamabad are the key players in Afghan imbroglio.
Besides making efforts to get full membership of SCO, Afghanistan should also fully deploy the potential of the organization in forging the consensus. All member states of the SCO, except Pakistan, view stability in Afghanistan in their interests. The continuation of instability in the region can threaten the economic interests of the SCO’s leading members, China and Russia; therefore, they are expected to do more to bring stability to Afghanistan. Moreover, Moscow and Beijing are expected to stop Islamabad from playing a destructive role in Afghanistan given their influence over Pakistan. The stronger the Afghanistan-SCO ties, the better the opportunities for forging regional consensus. So keeping this importance in mind, Afghan government should establish a strong, professional team within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for building ties with SCO and implementing its decisions. This will accelerate the process of Afghanistan’s full membership in the SCO on the one hand, and encourage its member states to come around to a unanimous stance on Afghanistan on the other hand.