A symbolic election

Saturday8217;s presidential polls in Afghanistan 8212; although it may not compare to our normal understanding of democratic elections 8212; constitute a landmark in the tortured history of Afghanistan. The challenge has been monumental and the success or otherwise of the electoral process must be judged in the context of the existing situation in that country. Nearly three years after the US-led coalition waged the war in Afghanistan, the Taliban and its leader are till around and reportedly gaining strength and support. The joint US-Pakistani offensive on the Afghanistan-Pakistan borders has yielded few results except for high Pakistani casualties. There is little security in the country and less stability. The Taliban and the Al Qaeda have been active with their guns killing and threatening anyone who has indicated an interest in the electoral process.

The security of the country is far from normal and the American media and experts, including Senator John Kerry, have been extremely critical of the Bush administration for having taken the focus off from the Taliban and Al Qaeda 8212; the reason for the war against terror. Reconstruction is far from becoming a reality. Out of the 4,500 million reconstruction funds pledged by the international community, only 700 million have actually flowed to Afghanistan so far. The Tajik and Uzbek areas in the north are comparatively more secure and stable, primarily because it is the support base for the Northern Alliance. Nearly 100,000 troops and security forces have been deployed to ensure security and there was confidence, that as many as five million voters would cast their votes. The exact figures may never be known, and is perhaps are not that important in the context of Afghanistan. That Hamid Karzai, the interim president, is likely to win overwhelmingly, is also a foregone conclusion. What is important is that the country has started the long march to democracy which many countries in the region have found difficult to adopt even after decades. Karzai would gain some legitimacy by becoming an elected president instead of just an interim head of state.

Institutions are the bedrock of every society and state. In Afghanistan, they have remained tribal in nature. And moving toward a western style democracy is the last thing we should expect if the country is to move toward secular peace and moderation in its domestic and external outlook. Building institutions in Afghanistan, therefore, would have to be based on the foundations of its tribal society with a devolution of power over time. It is more sustainable to formalise traditional power distribution patterns rather than impose an system that would remain alien for decades.