THIS EXPRESSES BY SENTIMENTS.IF PEOPLE ARE AGAINST KING AND WANT TO REMOVE KING DEMOCRATICALLY THEN WE CAN DO THAT LATER BUT WE SHOULD NOT LET MAOIST TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS SITUATION.MAOIST ARE ,WERE AND WILL PROVE TO BE 1000TIMES WORSE THAN KING.
Don’t Repeat Afghanistan in Nepal
Afghanistan is an immortal reminder of how domestic political instability can lead to growing interest by neighbors to fish into troubled waters and how the sudden fall of the institution of monarchy in the struggle for “full democracy and freedom†can lead to abysmal chaos and uncertainty.
By Preeti Koirala
As Nepal passes through the most turbulent period of its history, it is sensible to examine in detail the amazing similarities that political developments in Kathmandu in recent days have had with the comparable churn of events that shook Afghanistan, ultimately paving the way for the downfall of monarchy, decades of illegal occupation by its northern neighbor followed by even more blood-spattered conflict devastating a total of three generations in that country. Both land-locked and situated in a very strategic geo-political location; Nepalese and Afghans both take pride in the fact that they are brave at heart and good in soul. If we don’t take lessons from history, it is surely bound to repeat itself.
In Afganistan, King Amanullah, proclaiming unilaterally the independence of his country in 1919 without waiting for the reaction of the English, sent out a roving delegation to establish diplomatic relations with different countries of Asia , Europe , and America . The first stage of that delegation's mission was in Moscow , where it was received with red carpet in October 1919 by the leaders of the new regime. It was the first diplomatic delegation to visit Moscow since the bolshevik revolution. Afghanistan was thus the first country to recognize the new "state of workers and peasants of all the Russia ". The new regime in Moscow not only recognized the independence of Afghanistan but even "hastened to offer the young state of Afghanistan her moral and material support in her heroic struggle against the English imperialists".
This was the beginning of a sort of "special relationship" between the two neighbouring countries which lasted, with ups and downs, for sixty years. The relationship was said to be "good neighbourly", which ended in the invasion of the country by the Soviets in December 1979.
The Mujahiddin rebels backed by the Americans and sponsored by Pakistan fought with the Soviet Red Army for years which led to thousands of deaths and total destruction of the country.
The accession of King Nader Shah, in 1929, marked the beginning of a new phase in relations between Afghanistan and the Soviet Union. In fact, under the reigns of Nader Shah and the early part of Zahir Shah (who was King until the 1973 coupd'etat organized by his cousin Daoud), the relations with the USSR was very limited.
Prince Daoud, a cousin of King Zahir, who meanwhile had come to power, tried once more to convince the American government of the Afghan government's goodwill and of its desire to settle the dispute with Pakistan through diplomatic channels. He met Vice-President Nixon during his short visit to Kabul in 1953. But another prerequisite was demanded, namely that Afghanistan should abandon its long tradition of neutrality to join Pakistan , Iran , Iraq , and Turkey as a party to the Baghdad Pact.
This was enough to push Prince Daoud, who was already tired of American lack of comprehension, into the open arms of Moscow .
Thus, Loe Jirga (the parliament), at a special meeting convened to decide on the Pashtunistan situation and the purchase of arms, unanimously, decided that arms "should be bought wherever this was possible". In Moscow, the new post-Stalin leaders were following these events with great anxiety. Following a neutral foreign policy, Kabul's airport was built by the Russians and the technical equipment was supplied by the Americans just like small portions of the East-west highway in the terai was built by the Indians, Russians, Chinese and Americans at the request of Late King Mahendra.
A series of political events shook Afghanistan in the 60s. For the first time a Prime Minister who belonged neither to the Royal family, nor to the aristocracy Dr. Muhammad Yusuf formed his cabinet, composed of technocrats and intellectuals, in March 1963. He suggested that a new Constitution be prepared with a view to changing the country to a constitutional monarchy. The King agreed to that proposal, and the new constitution was drafted by Afghan experts, in collaboration with foreign legal advisers (a Frenchman, an Indian and an Egyptian). It was based on the principles of classical democracy, but maintained the traditional values of Islam and monarchy. It also excluded all members of the Royal family from getting into politics. In essence, this was one of the best arrangements that Afghanistan could ever have. Sadly, it couldn’t survive because all sides of the conflict wanted more in their share.
The Constitution was adopted in October 1964 and ratified by the King. General elections were due to take place in October 1965, and, therefore, the interim government had sufficient time to prepare and promulgate by Royal decree the laws for the first democratic general elections.
For the first time in the history of Afghanistan , political parties were permitted to function, on the condition that their aims and activities conform to the fundamental principles of the Constitution- Islam, constitutional monarchy and individual freedom. Therefore, the formation of Marxist parties of any tendency was indirectly excluded. As the elections were to take place prior to the formation of the political parties, it was left to the elected Parliament to pass the law on the creation of political parties, trade unions, and other political activities. But the leftist groups were eager to takeover quickly and did not wait until the legal formalities were completed. They took advantage of the general confusion prevailing in the countryside and started to organize themselves. Several groups, formed mainly of youngsters, began their political activities. Backed by the communists, student riots were organized right after the opening of the first democratic Parliament. They suggested that the government should be changed, in spite of the fact that the government had just won a vote of confidence by a landslide. They accused the Prime Minister, Dr. Muhammad Yusuf of incompetence, when they knew very well that the Prime Minister and the members of his government were at the meeting of the parliament.
Muhammad Hashem Maiwandwal, a former Minister of Information was asked to form a new government.
This event was the beginning of the crash of the experiment with democracy in Afghanistan . The liberal group, which had been a promoter of the constitutional monarchy, was excluded from the government and replaced by persons who did not believe in the Constitution at all. As a result, the constitution was only partly applied, and some important laws never came into effect. On 18 July 1973 , Daoud made a radio announcement, informing the Afghan people that the monarchy had come to an end and that a Republic was being set up. A few months earlier, King Zaher had visited Kathmandu . After the coup, the 1964 democratic Constitution was annulled; a temporary government and a revolutionary council - both headed by Daoud - came into power. He of course, could not manage his country torn already by massive infiltration of foreign intelligence agencies that were pouring oil to the fire of internal disturbances. Taking advantage of the messy situation, the Soviet Red Army took over Afghanistan in 1979. Daoud was killed by hanging him on a street lamppost.
What was a proud sovereign country with a monarchy and peaceful people was now under the invasion of foreigners. Kabul airport, till then a transit hub for travelers from Asia to Europe was now in ruins. This was only the beginning of the long, grueling battle that the Afghan people were destined to fight for a long period to come. The Mujahiddin rebels backed by the Americans and sponsored by Pakistan fought with the Soviet Red Army for years which led to thousands of deaths and total destruction of the country. Even after the Russians left, the Taliban vandals further destroyed this beautiful country with rich cultural heritage, tortured the women folk and took the country back to the 18 th century. Nepali journalist Kanak Mani Dixit has written how awe-struck he was when he saw the magnificent monument of the Bamiyan Buddha when traveling as a student back in the 60s. Yet, the bombarding of this great historical artifact in Kandahar by the Taliban was reported by the international media and the whole world just couldn’t do anything but watch. Eventually, King Zaher Shah, now in his 90s, frail and ill came back to open the Loe Zirga and Afghanistan’s new experiment with democracy has limped forward with heavy American troop presence and financial and other aid from the west. Lot of people look back with nostalgia, the many years of stability and peace that they enjoyed under the monarchy but it is a thing of the past. People weep when they see their old King but there is little that either of them can do to fix the bloody past.
Afghanistan is an immortal reminder of how domestic political instability can lead to growing interest by neighbors to fish into troubled waters and how the sudden fall of the institution of monarchy in the struggle for “full democracy and freedom†can lead to abysmal chaos and uncertainty. It is also a solid example of how foreign intervention to resolve the internal political feuds lead to big power rivalry and eventually become a headache for neighbors no matter how big or powerful they maybe. The Soviet Union met its Vietnam inside Afghanistan precisely because it did not sense the overly complex domestic scene that was not possible for any foreigner to be able to manage. The people of Afghanistan, especially the young ones had hoped that the accent of a republic would be democratic, modern and a free society. On the contrary, what it turned out to be was a horrific example of how brutal religious fanaticism can be without any semblance of tolerance. Afghan journalists had desired a totally free press without any censorship whatsoever during the Zaher Shah and much of the Daud era and had even waged protests in this regard. Ironically, after the advent of the republic, there was not even a single newspaper to survive the Soviet occupation and Taliban era to propound the freedom of the press. Hidden inside their burka, Afghan ladies were not allowed even to wear white socks and their children knew nothing else but the AF 47s.
The men, even the small number that survived the decades of fighting, have seen almost everything except secularism, freedom and democracy.
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