RAWA communiqué on accord between the Taliban and the Northern Alliance Intra-Fundamentalist accords, Nothing But
Prelude to More Sanguinary In-Fighting and Further Tyranny In Regard to the People of Afghanistan
The Taliban and the Northern Alliance are once again talking Peace --Permanent Peace-- in Afghanistan. The media is exuberantly calling it a positive step towards cessation of bloodletting and the restoration of stability in Afghanistan, and interested countries one after the other are welcoming the accord and announcing their support for the interfacing.
But we, together with the majority of the people of Afghanistan who well know the mediaeval-to-the-coreessence of the fundamentalists of all shades and colours, cannot attacha brass farthing’s worth to such endeavours and believe them to be nothing but exercises in futility which can never bring peace and happiness to our people. These fundamentalist entities have shown time and again in the course of their blood-drenched existence that they are brought to the talking table and tethered to it by their foreign masters, and are made to sign agreements and understandings which are subsequently torn to shreds before the ink has dried. These savages even swore upon the Koran inside the Kaaba in Mecca to desist from further bloodletting in Afghanistan, only to resume their savagery once they returned home. The utter futility of the Islamabad, Peshawar, Jalalabad and other similar accords are eloquent witnesses to the “credibility” of the fundamentalists’ “commitment to peace” and their “word of honour”. Furthermore, as we have always maintained, what can be the worth of an accord or accords between criminal factions rotten to the morrow of their bones? It is enough to recall the savage misogyny of the Taliban and their Jihadi brethren in general, and their implacable animosity and terroristic threats against RAWA and its supporters, to realise once again the odiousessence of the fundamentalists.
Experience has shown time and again that such talks between the belligerents is only a play-for-time tactic for logistical replenishment and is always followed by ever more ferocious engagements to which more numbers of our unhappy compatriots fall victim. Even now, with the elapse of just a few days since the latest glimmer of “a ray of hope”, the media is reporting renewed fierce fighting.
We are of the unshakeable belief that the root and the prime cause of the on-going human rights tragedy in Afghanistan is the nefarious existence of fundamentalist bands of the Taliban and Jihadi brands. Until such time as they are allowed to remain actors on the political stage in Afghanistan nothing except bloodletting, plunder and crime can be expected of them. We emphatically reiterate that unless and until the existing murderer fundamentalist “leaders” are placed in the defendants’ seats for crimes against humanity and perpetration of war atrocities, no peace initiative in our country can be credible in the eyes of our devastated people. If it is possible to try people for war crimes in other countries, why can’t the linchpins of Afghan terrorist bands who have committed worse crimes than the worst criminals be put on trial?
The United Nations and countries such as Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United States and others who every now and then remind the world that Taliban and Jihadi bigwigs are “important Afghan leaders” and beneficently bring them to the talking table to sit down and talk with each other, are no friends of the people of Afghanistan. This is because they all disdainfully ignore the aspiration of our people for democracy and human rights (and women’s right sin particular) and seek nothing but their own political dividends. These countries have contributed and continue to contribute to the human rights disaster in Afghanistan by funding and supporting the most anti-popular forces in Afghanistan. They therefore can in no way be expected to write off their political investments in Afghanistan so easily and agree on an acceptable solution to the “Afghan conundrum”.
The salient (and self-defeating) feature of all similar agreements reached up till now under the aegis of either the UN or one or other interested party or parties has been the prime importance attached to bringing the fundamentalist bands together, and the dismissal of any and all democratic and progressive entities and elements as a party in such talks. Likewise, issues vital for a just and durable peace in Afghanistan, such as democracy and women’s rights, have never figured on agendas made out for such talks by the sponsors. The participation of even one woman in such talks to speak on behalf of half the Afghan population is not even considered as a possibility. To endeavour to unite the fundamentalist bands is to unite the blood-dripping hands of murderers in the crushing oppression of the Afghan people and of Afghan women in particular, as well as in the eradication of the last vestiges of modern civilised society from Afghanistan.
Like every other nation and people in the modern world, our people have vital need for democracy and human rights. Attainment of even an outline of democracy under the domination of the fundamentalists is an unattainable dream. We therefore put the following question to all countries who have voiced their support for the intra-fundamentalist peace accord: Do we, the people and particularly the women of Afghanistan, not belong to the modern world on the threshold of the 21st century, that we are doomed (with your blessings) to live forever under the blood-dripping blade of the fundamentalists? Such countries, if they are true friends of our people, instead of voicing their support to rapprochement between murderers and terrorists, should address the prime cause of the on-going tragedy in Afghanistan and voice their support for the overthrow of the fundamentalists and the restoration of democracy and women’s rights in Afghanistan.
If the UN really wants to see the end of the human rights tragedy in Afghanistan it should focus on disarming all fundamentalist bands in Afghanistan through deployment of a UN Peacekeeping Force, rely on and support democratic elements in the country, and pave the way for a traditional Loya Jirga and then free elections in Afghanistan which would engineer a state apparatus on the basis of democracy and human rights principles in our country.
As for RAWA, we will not desist from any struggle or sacrifice against fundamentalist terrorism and defence of democracy and women’s rights until such time as the Jihadi and Taliban traitors continue to remain active on the political scene of Afghanistan.
Long live Freedom and Democracy!
Down with fundamentalism!