April 28 More Sinister Than April 27
Bereaved compatriots,
When the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) raised the slogan "April 28 More Sinister Than April 27" (*) for the first time in 1992, fundamentalist criminals ignominiously bared their teeth, attacked and threatened us, and used whatever vituperation they had in their vocabulary of insults and abuse in order to demean and defame RAWA. But RAWA was not cowed by the threats of the terrorists of Rabbani-Masood, Sayyaf, Gulbudin, Khalili gangs et al., and as the stink of their treacheries and infamies spread, more and more people realized the correctness of this slogan. The world community also noticed that those who, after the collapse of the puppet regime, were installed in power from 1992 to 1996 were nothing but professional criminals. Consequently the attacks, intimidations and howls of these terrorist bands against RAWA gradually diminished. When RAWA organized a festival to celebrate this year's Afghan New Year's Day (Nawroz) in cooperation with a number of educational and athletic foundations, a number of these terrorist rascals issued threatening letters in Wahdat newspaper under the penname of "Baheer" and distributed clandestine tracts against RAWA and our compatriots of the artist and athlete communities. These cowardly snarls died out even before they were heard and were not taken seriously by anyone. It merits mentioned that were it not for the tragic Nahrin earthquake, RAWA would definitely have held, in the teeth the cowardly murderer bullies, a great musical show which had already been organized for the occasion . The presence of more than thirteen thousands people in the festival was a kick in the mouth of these religious fascists.
After the transfer of power to Mr.Karzai, RAWA again warned that the criminals of the Northern Alliance would blemish his government and consequently people will lose faith in his administration. We also stated that it would be only by distancing himself from them and putting them on trial that our people, especially our bereaved women, will feel safe and free and the reconstruction of our devastated land will take its prescribed path.
Fortunately now it is not RAWA but Mr. Karzai himself who, despite being surrounded by the Northern Alliance hangmen, is wailing:
"On 21st of April, Hamid Karzia said that the acts of the warlords have made the live of the ordinary people miserable. He said that during his last month's visit from the earthquake hit areas in Nahrin, the main demand of the people was not relief aid but greater security. Even in that area people didn't want any thing else but security and peace." (AFP, April 22, 2002).
No need to mention that the RAWA Aid Delegation dispatched to the area has heard innumerable and more shocking and saddening calls for protection and security.
These statements, before anything else, prove RAWA's assertion that as long as even one person belonging to the criminal Jehadi parties is part of the present government, this government is scarred and flawed. The developments subsequent to September 11 not only did not free our country, they drove the Taliban wolves through one door and ushered in the rabid dogs of the Northern Alliance through the other. The women currently holding posts in the government and active in the Loya Jirga process, etc. all are suspect, cowardly, and subservient to the interests of fundamentalist parties; and as such cannot represent the majority of suffering Afghan women. They function as dangerous agents of the infamous gangs in order to hinder the establishment of a stable government based on democratic values. The numerous absurd and meaningless publications in Kabul which are in one way or another in collaboration with the Rabbani-Masood gang, and the assault of the Rabbani-Masood gangsters on bookshops selling RAWA's Payam-e-Zan (Women's Message) and other RAWA publications cannot be a sign of freedom of the press; they are travesties of this very basic democratic value. The assassins of Dr. Abdul Rahman are still in place as ministers and chief of army staff, etc. The arrest of the terrorists belonging to "Brother-in- Leadership" Gulbudin by the Security Services of Mr. Fahim & Co. is nothing but a quarrel between criminal "religious brothers" and an attempt to disguise their villainous intrigues and thus fortify their base in government. Such arrests have no bearing on the call of our people for the trial of the said felons. The trial and sentencing of Gulbudin and his gang will be meaningful only if conducted alongside trial and sentencing of his "Jehadi brothers", Rabbani, Fahim & Co.
What has been mentioned above bear out the fact that there still are factors at work in Afghanistan which, until and unless they are eliminated for ever, will not allow our people to experience true freedom after two decades of catastrophe and destruction.
On the eve of Zahir Shah's return to the country, "Emir" Rabbani and his "boys" (see the murder of Wasokht by Jamiat boys, Mujahid, 23rd of Dalwa 1367), particularly an agent of his in France by the name of Mihrabudeen Mustan, with an impudence which rightly matches the odious nature of his ilk, declared their (Jamiat's) opposition to the "restoration of the monarchy". With such utterances, the Rabbani gang and associates are attempting to court the west not only by donning coats and pants and ties, but are also engaging in "theoretical" wooing by trying to prove that they are "modernized" theocrats to the extent that they consider the monarchy to be an "archaic and outdated" phenomenon!
Such utterances are beneath contempt; we can only repeat what we have reiterated over the years: Messrs. Rabbani, treacherous "Brothers-in-Leadership", i.e. Gulbudin, Sayyaf, Khalili and cravat-flaunting "boys", our people would prefer Zahir Shah's scabies-infested dog over you!
Zahir Shah himself has declared many times that he does not intend to restore the monarchy. However, should it happen, you criminals must remember that the people of Afghanistan would prefer such an eventuality over your bloody, treacherous and corrupt "Emirate", notwithstanding any amount of whitewashing and varnishing your media brokers, "Umid" and the likes of Latif Padram, Akram Osman, Rahnaward Zaryab, et al. may give it.
Our people consider their freedom from the sordid chains of fundamentalism and the reconstruction of Afghanistan over the graves of the Taliban and the Northern Alliance hangmen as their foremost priority; they will never again allow the nefarious days of April 27 and 28 to be repeated.
RAWA demonstrations and other activities will be conducted not only in Pakistan and a number of Western countries, but hopefully in many locations in Afghanistan, until the complete obliteration of the sinister days of April 27 and 28.
Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA)
April 28, 2002