At a meeting on the vital issue of reconstruction, last week attended by a number of cabinet members of the transitional government of Afghanistan in Washington DC, speeches were delivered either in English or were translated into English. But when it came to the minister in charge of reconstruction of Afghanistan, he stood up and started forthright speaking in his fluent native Dari language. Somebody shouted if there was a translator at hand. Finding none, he took upon himself to translate.

The incident highlighted two points. 1) The Afghan minister is so eager to begin his work that he cannot wait for translators to convey his message. And 2) The Afghan minister, who is considered the chief planner for reconstruction himself had no plans, not even for his much awaited speech.

But if Afghan reconstruction is to be taken more seriously than fuel for political maneuvering and substance for political speeches, then it certainly requires a solid plan based on priorities that are established, not on the basis of political pressures, but on realities on the ground and on scientific principles.

Afghan politicians as well as their foreign counterparts in the international community use the subject of Afghanistan's reconstruction to further a variety of their own agendas. Leaders in the East and the West, including presidents, prime ministers and chief politicians include the issue in their passionate speeches when they refer to humanitarian aid to the deserving Afghan nation and when they talk about the international responsibility of their nation regarding Afghanistan. President Bush of the United States has gone so far as to point to an assistance program of the scope of the post World War II Marshal Plan for Germany. His counterparts in the European Union, and Russia, Japan, Canada and others have not hesitated to express strong pledges of support to the Afghan nation for its reconstruction. Some have connected the issue with peace and security in South-central Asia. Some call it a boost to the worldwide struggle against terrorism. Others, perhaps correctly, see in a prosperous Afghanistan a great chance for worldwide drug control and trafficking.

But reconstruction has not started in earnest in Afghanistan. Could it be that both the Afghans and their supporters do not know how? Translating political rhetoric into pragmatic programs, for example, does not need politicians; it needs technicians. And technicians need money and material to do their work. Where are those technicians and where are the money and material? The transitional government and its ministry of reconstruction together with all economic and financial institutions of the government need to sit together and find the answers. Then they have to sit with their foreign and international supporters and ask them for the much-publicized pledges of their financial support. They need to show to the donor countries how they have planned to spend the money and what will be the end result of the particular projects that they would be financing. When are these projects to begin and when are they expected to complete are other questions of interest that cannot be answered without scientific explanations.
One of the recent reports said the government of Japan has decided to use Kandahar as an example of its help in the reconstruction of Afghanistan. The idea brings to fore one of the many tactics that can be adopted regarding the process of reconstruction in Afghanistan. This tactic could be called; "Adopt a Province." If the tactic itself is adopted, then donor countries and groups, based on a well thought and coordinated plan, adopt either regions of provinces including major cities within the province as well as the countryside. This will also amount to implementation of micro-developmental plans that could at a later stage be implemented nationwide. These would, of necessity be general developmental plans as opposed to sector planning such as planning for national education or health or agriculture or industries.

The tactic may also provide possibilities of establishment of sister-city relationship between the major cities in Afghan provinces and specific cities in donor countries.

But to adopt this or any other tactic for the reconstruction of Afghanistan requires a commitment by the transitional government to putting in action its political promises for the welfare of the country. In this it may need the help of the Afghan intelligentsia inside and outside the country, developmental experts and a strict time frame for planning and implementation. 8/2/02