Supporters of Alipur, a rogue anti-Taliban militia commander, clashed with police in Kabul on Sunday after he was arrested by the National Directorate of Security (NDS). As a result of the violent protest, scores of Afghan security forces were wounded, some sustaining gunshot wounds, and several police checkpoints and vehicles were set ablaze. The demonstrators are calling for the release of commander Alipur who is accused of running irresponsible armed groups, human rights abuses, harassment and extortion of passengers on highways, and other illegal activities. Government forces had attempted several times to detain him.
Some members of the Hazara community are trying to portray Alipur’s arrest as an ethnic issue. A clique of people, who have shared interests with the militia commander, wants to arouse the sympathy and sentiments of ethnic Hazaras in a bid to squeeze the government to free a notorious human rights violator from the claws of justice. Afghan people should act wisely and form a judgment in the light of ground realities. Afghan security forces at which the demonstrators pelted stones and torched their vehicles on Sunday are members of the same forces that have been protecting the lives and properties of Hazaras in Ghazni’s Jaghori and Malistan districts from the Taliban over the last several weeks at the cost of their own lives. They consider the protection of their people a responsibility, regardless of their ethnic group, language and religion. The people should also respect and support them.
A criminal is a criminal, no matter which ethnic group and language he belongs to. The government is duty bound to implement justice on whoever is violating the country’s laws. Supporting an individual or being hostile towards others on the basis of ethnic and religious affiliation is not a characteristic of civilized humans. Those claiming to be civilized must prove it in their street protests.
The government is also to partly blame for the Sunday violent protests. The embattled government armed a number of people under the ploy of providing security for Shia Muslims during Ashura festival. It is highly likely that the demonstrators might have used those weapons against government forces. Although the distribution of weapons to irresponsible men in Kabul was greeted with objection, but the government sunk in a quagmire took no heed of the public opposition.