As the Afghans were busy commemorating the third anniversary of the martyrdom of a legendary freedom fighter Ahmad Shah Massoud, a succession of five rockets fired into Kabul reminded them of the continued threat of insecurity in their country. Arab terrorists working in collusion with Taleban two days before the terrorist attacks on American soil on September 11, 2001 assassinated Massoud. The fateful attacks bruised the psyche of both Afghan and American nations and changed forever the many aspects of lives in these two countries.

At the same time, a surprise bold action by Hamid Karzai shook the political structure of his government when upon launching of his election campaign he announced a replacement for the strong governor of Herat, another legendary freedom fighter of yore and a self-style leader of western Afghanistan, showing that he is capable of taking grave decisions in the gravest of times.

On the other hand, in the face of the strongest American response to the acts of terror and terrorists, remnants of Al-Qaeda and a regrouped Taleban leadership are still operative in Afghanistan and are posing a great threat to Afghanistan's first attempt ever at electing its president in democratic elections.

On Friday, September 10, 2004 a succession of five rockets aimed at Kabul International Airport and missing widely their targets shook the area and inflicted damage to buildings belonging to innocent civilians injuring some residents of Kabul. A Taleban military leader Mullah Dadullah claimed responsibility by arrogantly telling Reuters News Agency that Taleban were in a position to attack any place in the country at will.

Also recently, attacks by Taleban elements and even mobs on foreign aid workers have increased in the country. The situation has created great concern among the international community, the United Nations and the government. The events prompted president Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan to express concern over increased attacks on aid workers and to try to patch up, undiplomatic comments by his minister of planning regarding NGOs.

According to Reuters, Planning Minister Ramazan Bachardoust was quoted in a news report on Tuesday, as saying violence against NGOs was "inevitable" as they were behaving like private firms and using 80 percent of their budgets for administration and salaries. He also hailed the withdrawal from Afghanistan in July of the Nobel Peace prize-winning agency, Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders), after five of its foreign staff were killed in the northern province of Badghis."Afghans pray for them to leave. We don't want that kind of NGO here," he was quoted as saying.

Bachardoust's reported remarks came the same day 10 foreign and local NGO workers were injured in mob attacks on several foreign aid agency offices in the northern town of Faizabad, the Reuters report stated.

Such reports are indicative of grave inefficiency and failure on the part of the government and its supporting US and its allied military in Afghanistan. It also reveals lack of coordination within the government where the president and his cabinet ministers are not on the same frequency.

It may be very true that some aid agencies and NGOs use a greater percentage of funds under the guise of security and that the enormous salaries their foreign employees derive from their adventurous jobs are in no way comparable with the income of the local residents, some with equal and even higher qualifications, the planning minister should have behaved in a more diplomatic way and should have addressed the problem within the government seeking legislation and regulation of the activities of the aid agencies.

It is also true, as this column has repeatedly referred to, that a greater chunk of the aid given to Afghanistan is channeled through NGOs. The Afghan government and especially its minister of planning should have played a decisive role in presenting the aid giving governments documentation of the government's ability to utilize the aid for purpose of reconstruction of the country. Launching of propaganda against aid agencies and inciting indirectly violence against foreign workers is not only counterproductive, but injurious to the process of democratization in the country.

Reports from Afghanistan further touch on the important issue of presidential elections. Recently, I came across an interview by Radio Free Europe with the minister of reconstruction of Afghanistan. Eagerly looking forward to hear his discussion of the urgent projects on reconstruction I was disappointed to find out that the whole interview centered on presidential elections and the minister was given a chance to express his views why Hamid Karzai was the best candidate for the job. There was no mention of the issue of reconstruction in the entire interview! Yet another report stated that Hamid Karzai had denied that his other minister, Mr. Bachardoust, was engaged in conducting election campaign on Karzai's behalf. A local paper had accused the minister of using his visits to the provinces not for the work of his ministry, but to campaign for Hamid Karzai.

Given the above one wonders why is it that the government lacks coordination, clarity of purpose and the impetus to fulfill the obligations of the transitional period? For about three years now, the US and allied forces were practically in charge of the country so much so that they would arrest, investigate and imprison Afghan citizens mostly in Afghanistan and in prisons under their own control or sent some to the now famous Guantanamo prison. The Afghan government did not have any say in their capture, interrogation, trial and or imprisonment. There was no attempt by the government to even consider trying them in Afghan courts. Only recently, in the wake of exposure of excesses against prisoners by US personnel, the United States decided it was time to transfer the prisoners and some selected cases to the Afghan government so that it could tell the world that it is not an occupying force, but a helper to the transitional government.

But as it is with politics, Hamid Karzai surprised the nation on Saturday September 11, 2004 when on embarking his presidential campaign he took one of the boldest steps yet of his leadership era by replacing Ismail Khan as the governor of Herat and offering him the position of the minister of mines and industries. Four hundred national army troops located at key positions in the city and units of US forces in Herat made sure that the protest against Karazai's decision be controlled. Ismail Khan, a legendary freedom fighter with great military experience attained world fame by his facing of the Red Army in open fields of western Afghanistan. His place in Afghan history is lofty for his long and successful fight for freedom against the Soviet forces of occupation. But notwithstanding his great efforts in peacetime and his achievements in reconstruction and security in Herat Province, he continued to be known as a warlord because of his self- style rule and limiting of individual liberties as well as his face off with the decisions of the central government. Now he has graciously accepted his replacement and has prudently rejected the position of minister of mines and industries on the grounds that he is a military man and is not fit for leading the said ministry. This should serve as a good lesson to Karzai to choose his team more appropriately for the job and not for political considerations. 9/11/04