Afghanistan today is very different from the agrarian society of the past where family interests were placed ahead of tribal and national interests. Today, Afghanistan, in its devastated condition, needs nation building. This can be done only when selfish interests are shunned and people of every walk of life, of every ethnic origin and of every nook and corner of the country joined together and, based on their qualifications, contributed to the reconstruction and restructuring of the country and its value system respectively. Positions of authority must therefore be either earned in fair and just elections-if these are elective ones- or must be given on the basis of the individual's qualifications, experience and proven dedication and achievements in the particular area where he/she is to be posted.

The following is a picture of what goes on at present in Afghanistan. It magnifies the need for a reconsideration of appointments to high positions within the government that must be done to expedite the country's reconstruction and not to please families and political groupings.

Afghanistan's Ambassador to the United Kingdom Ahamd Wali Masoud is the brother of the fallen Afghan freedom fighter and leader of the Shora-e-Nizar, now the legendary Ahmad Shah Masoud. Afghanistan's ambassador to the Russian Federation, another important country for Afghanistan, is Ahmad Zia Masoud, Ahmad Shah's other brother. All three belonged to Shora-e-Nizar movement of which now Marshal Qadir Fahim, the Afghan Defense Minister, his cousin Sultan Mahmud Didar, Afghanistan's defense attaché in Berlin and Fahim's two deputies Atiqullah Baryalai and Bismaillah Khan and Abdul Lateef, foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah's brother, another senior officer of the Defense Ministry belong. Another influential minister in Karzai's cabinet is Younus Qanooni, whose cousins Saifi and Mohammad Hasan serve as ambassadors to Bulgaria and Ukraine respectively.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty published a report on the issue of nepotism and cronyism in Afghan government on May 6, 2003. The report by Abdul Ahrar Romizpour was critical of the policy followed in Afghanistan about filling of government positions, not necessarily by consideration of the qualifications of the individuals, but by family relationships and political loyalty to the many movements. Romizpour says: "When the government appoints someone to senior posts, it should pay attention to their professional background and their education. Unfortunately, it is not the case here. People get jobs through their connections, not according to their professional skills and knowledge."

A grave example of the situation is given about Afghanistan's Minister of trade, Mr. S. Mustafa Kazemi. His cousins S. Mujtaba Hashemi and Muslim are Afghan trade representatives in Germany and Dubai respectively. His other two cousins are trade representatives in Mashhad of Iran. And another one of his cousins, Mr. Daleri is the chief of customs in Kabul. As if the above were not enough to give full control of the Afghan commerce to one family, the Minister's brother-in-law has been made head of the Chambers of Commerce. Extending the family's area of influence further, yet another cousin of the minister has been appointed to head the Food Supply Office.

Warlords do not lag behind in this competition either. Ismail Khan's son is the minister of aviation and tourism and Dostum's brother Abdul Qader is Afghan Ambassador in Kyrgyzstan. Ismail Khan and Dostum are the rulers of Herat and Mazar-e-Sharif respectively.

Mr. Hamid Karzai's brother serves as a mouthpiece for the government and as an advisor to the Afghan Embassy in Washington. President Karzai's uncle Azizullah Karzai, in his own right, a former Ministry of Foreign Affairs official, serves as Afghan Ambassador to the Czech Republic while his other uncle Abdul Ghaffor is the Ambassador to Egypt.

While this pattern of government is not unfamiliar to the Afghans who were consistently blaming the monarch's family for enjoying high-ranking positions while more qualified Afghans were deprived of the chance to serve, it is to be stated that the people have higher expectations from the present government. Nepotism will further weaken an already weak central government. It will deprive the country of the services of more educated and qualified Afghans who would otherwise want to return to Afghanistan to serve. It would also alienate the public when they see that it is not the government of the people but a government of families and friends.

It is for Mr. Karzai and his government to look into this grave situation and carve a more appropriate posting policy for high government positions. 5/10/03