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Opinion
The Last Lifeline for Karzai
by
Uddipan Mukherjee
 The long and arduous process of
electing (or selecting ?) the President of Afghanistan which
began on August 20; finally came to an end, albeit on a
somber note when on November 1, the formidable candidate Dr
Abdullah Abdullah quit the run-off elections as scheduled on
November 7. He expressed his dissatisfaction towards the
‘election procedure’ and the ‘associated fraud’. Hence, on
November 2, the incumbent Hamid Karzai was declared
president for another five year term by Azizullah Ludin, the
chief officer of the Independent Election Commission (IEC).
Interestingly, Karzai himself appointed Ludin to the office
and Abdullah had raised vehement objections regarding the
‘biased attitude’ of Ludin. In fact, it was a major issue on
which Abdullah relinquished his candidature.
The Afghan Law does not allow the third candidate in the
fray to contest the run-off when the second bows out. Thus
Bashardost could not pose any challenge to Karzai as per the
rules.
But all is not well for Karzai. It
may be ‘joie de vivre’ for him for the time being, but
President Obama has clearly warned him to work against the
rampant corruption and opium trade that have encouraged the
resurgence of the Taliban.
Already, General McChrystal has categorically stated in his
report that drug trade is one of the chief financial support
mechanisms for the Taliban.
Hence, Karzai has vowed to have a head-on collision with
corruption. In a press conference flanked by Vice President
Mohammad Qasim Fahim, Karzai said; “Afghanistan's image has
been tainted by corruption. Our government's image has been
tainted by corruption. We will strive, by any means
possible, to eradicate this stain.”
Ironically, even Vice-President Fahim is charged with
malfeasance.
Hence, Karzai’s tasks would not be straightforward.
The US administration wants Mr. Karzai and the Afghan
government to put into effect an ‘anticorruption commission’
in order to establish strict accountability for government
officials at the national and provincial levels.
In addition, some American officials and their European
counterparts would like to see at least a few arrests. The
international community’s wish list of potential detainees
includes Mr. Karzai’s brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai. He is a
suspected player in the country’s booming illegal opium
trade. Another player in the same league is General Abdul
Rashid Dostum, accused of involvement in the killings of
thousands of Taliban prisoners of war early in the Afghan
conflict. Furthermore, Fahim is on the wish list too.
Just after the declaration of the IEC, the fifty-one
year-old Karzai, quite paradoxically, urged his Taliban
‘brothers’ ‘to come home and embrace their land’. What type
of strategy is he following? Is he calling upon the souls of
the patriotic Talibans to solve this quagmire?
The fitting question in this regard is will the Taliban or
for that matter ordinary Afghans pay heed to Karzai’s
appeal? Keeping in mind the kind of maladministration that
his government has rendered for the last five years, the
scenario seems bleak. Moreover, the recent revelations of
the unholy connections of Karzai’s brother with the CIA have
made the situation in Afghanistan more cumbrous.
Some analysts have said that there was immense pressure on
Abdullah to quit, as Karzai was the only choice of USA. But
that might not have been the case as some reports do suggest
that the Obama administration, in its early days tried its
best to search for another ‘pliable’ alternative to Karzai.
They did not succeed in that endeavour though. In a more
probable scenario, Abdullah might have understood that even
if a ‘semblance’ of an election took place, it would have
been difficult for him to defeat Karzai. More so, when the
voter turnout remains a contentious issue amidst Taliban
threats.
By now, it is an accomplished fact that ‘lack of governance’
in Afghanistan has been a major plank for the Taliban
re-emergence. Thus Karzai has to plug in the loopholes.
Moreover, a politically stable Afghanistan is a
pre-requisite for the phased withdrawal of the NATO-led
forces. Also, to thwart the Taliban, revival of democratic
and judicial structures is of utmost necessity.
Another ‘friendly government’ for five more years and Obama
has obtained the verdant field to send his troops.
Enhancement of American troops in Afghanistan as per the
request of McChrystal is now almost unavoidable. Actually,
White House is playing a ‘wait and watch policy’. It is
keeping vigil on the Pakistani operations in South
Waziristan. And it would also keenly watch Karzai live up to
his promises to combat jobbery. The success of both Pakistan
and Karzai, even to a partial degree, would set the stage
for an American onslaught in Afghanistan.
In the meantime, Karzai needs to pounce upon this
opportunity. If he can create a conducive political
atmosphere for the ordinary Afghans, cut down on the illegal
opium trade and most importantly restore the confidence of
the ordinary masses in democratic governance; then a new
sunshine may occur in a war torn country. Needless to
mention, this opportunity is Karzai’s last one.
November 5, 2009
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