Afghanistan has been led to become a country of political extremes. After receiving of a decisive blow with the fall of the Taleban, the extreme right is once again trying to rise. On the other hand the far left, too, has started to raise both its head and its voice. While, the country's chief of the Supreme Court, who is a purely Islamic scholar with no credentials in secular jurisprudence with his eighty years of one track thinking, has increased the number of Supreme Court justices from 9 to more than 130, to strengthen his base and support, the extreme left so called leaders have also issued statements to the effect that they are alive and want to be counted. The left had also received a decisive blow when their puppet communist regime fell to the government of Mujahideen from the far right. Historically both extremes had their chance with the Afghan nation and both failed drastically.

With the coming to power of the interim government followed by the transitional government led by Hamed Karzai, some members of the intelligentsia of the Afghan diaspora celebrated the fact that a centrist and truly democratic system would begin the processes of reconciliation among the widely scattered ideological schools drawing them together around the center. It was also expected of the transitional arrangement to lead the country in beginning an era of reconstruction, physical, social and infrastructural. These it was thought would be possible when the tasks assigned the new administration of establishing of a national army, drafting of a constitution, starting of the process of reconstruction, establishment of the structure for a legislature and arrangements for free elections were taken up. It now seems that none of the above progress satisfactorily perhaps because of the administration's inability to assume real power and run a centralist central and strong government. It is also thought that the leader of the transitional government under pressure and desirous of befriending the powerful warlords has appointed or acceded to the wishes of the warlord appointees. Perhaps he thinks that he needs to appease the powers that he cannot control by offering them a share in the power of the central government. This has unfortunately resulted in an imbalance of power as well as has opened the doors for intervention by factions, warlords and people of influence in the affairs of the government. This therefore has dragged the government farther and farther from democratic process, as these appointees influence the whole process of nation building at one of the most critical phases of the life of the nation.

The Leftist parties of Khalq and Parcham who manned the puppet communist government in the 1980s in Afghanistan and whose obedience to the designs of Kremlin made them outcasts to the traditional society of Afghanistan are now talking of the need for the transitional government to uphold democratic process. Sultan Ali Kishtmand, a prime minister in the communist puppet government, who now lives in London, has issued a statement describing the stand of the Leftist movement consisting of the elements of the puppet communist regime which fell after the Soviet forces that backed it left the country. Kishtmand in a statement recently issued states that the communist movement that he calls the Democratic Peoples Party of Afghanistan would support the transitional government if it adheres to the principles laid out by the Bonn agreement.

Other former communist elements from either Parcham or Khalq parties such as Mahmoud Baryalai the brother of the leader of Parcham Party Karmal, some former puppet government ministers from Khalq Party such as Zairai, Tanai and a few others are also said to be hopeful of organizing themselves to exploit the promise for democratic process by the transitional government. Some of these ride the tide of support for women's rights that were usurped drastically during the Taleban rule and which still have not been accorded them fully.

It is also a fact to realize that in no country in the world democracy provides full freedom for movements that are considered by the nation as injurious to the fabric of the society.. Political conduct in the majority of nations is regulated as it must be especially in developing countries where social evils such as illiteracy and poverty limit understanding and benefiting from democratic process. In Afghanistan, where Leftist ideology failed drastically and where extreme rightist attitude resulted in further devastation, there is the need for recognition of the fact that a centralist, enlightened and regulated system may help begin the process of nation building. The country should not allow failed ideologies to resurface and especially communist movements that proved their loyalty to foreign powers rather than the Afghan nation. Afghanistan should be aware of the threats from within and outside to the great chance it has acquired after a quarter of a century to start nation building for a progressive and prosperous country in the heart of Asia. The decision as the establishment of a progressive democracy that allows neither communist take over nor exclusive rule by the far right belongs to the Afghan nation. This decision can only be taken by an elected legislature. But the grounds both for elections and the drafting of rules for the legislature must be paved by the transitional government. 02/02/03