Loya Jirga 'The Grand Council'

    These days the streets are strictly blocked and the security is tight in most parts of Kabul, Afghanistan . The four-day long Loya Jerga ‘The Grand Council’ is in progress and is going to last three more days. It is annually held in Afghanistan by the government inviting about 2000 people from around the country. It is like a ‘leader-follower’ meeting which is common in some countries for making major plans for which the presence of experts from around the country is needed. In Afghanistan, however, it is different.  Mostly countrymen are given the chance to come ‘putting on their big turbans as showing respect to the old way of holding the Jerga’ and meet the president but whether those men are expert or if their presence is required for plans being made and matter discussed on in the Jerga, is not in priority.

      The Jerga traditionally starts out with the speech of President Karzai and whatever he says is often followed by hand clapping of the local men. After Karzai’s speech, some others are given some time to give speech on the history of how Loya Jerga was held years ago and so forth. As the speakers go on giving their speech, it is typical of those countrymen not to show any interest after a while since they are politically illiterate. And when they find the Jerga unworkable, they start to feel bored, sitting comfortably, some taking their shoes make discussions of their own favorite topics as in the pictures below.

Attendees having their own talks-not interested in what others say 

This strategic planner feels being detained  

Strategic Planners of 21^st Century?..their feet must stink 

    It is interesting that today as part of the agenda, the Jerga was to discuss the 40 issues planned on Strategic Plans between the U.S and Afghanistan, but in the middle of the discussion, the countrymen rejected the 39^th issue of the declarations because 39 is considered as an unlucky number in some of the regions these local men are coming from. And that argument ended today’s Jerga with nothing in conclusion which partly means the attendees will be spending another day arguing on unlucky number.

     Worthy to mention that in multi-ethnical Afghanistan, the Jerga used to be traditionally held only among the Pashthun tribal leaders usually to prepare for major events such as choosing a new king, adopting a constitution, or discussing important national political or emergency matters as well as disputes in the Pashthun areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan regardless of considering the other ethnic groups’ ides. Now it has changed a little and the decisions are more regarding strategic plans and political relationships with the neighbor and helper countries. The attendees form other ethnic groups are being let in as well; however, the majority of the attendees are still from the Pashthun group and the others are only a little over observers.

    In Afghanistan, since everything is done traditionally, it takes a long time to make this Jerga, a factual ‘Grand Council’ as its name implies. As I mentioned, it is still held in an old-fashioned way and the decisions and plans being made are not as sufficient. To make it even a little better, necessity of the equally presence of educated tribal leaders from every ethnic group should be on the top of the list. As I read, the agenda of today’s council was not worth bringing 2000 people together from around the country and spending millions of dollars. For instance, in his today’s speech, Karzai was shouting out ‘we are the lions! And the world should know us as the lions’. And the countrymen clapped as he paused.  I wonder why would Karzai didn’t think that the world is not first a jungle to know him and other Afghans as the lions. Second, let’s suppose it is, the ‘lions’ are the ones who don’t need help from other animals of the jungle; while today Afghanistan is surviving on the goods all being imported from the neighbor countries and Karzai himself ‘the big lion’ is seated secure in the Arg ‘Presidential Place’ by the security provided by other ‘foxes of the world’.

Police Are Commanded to Kidnap the Woman Who Asks for Her Right

It is just hard to say what the government is doing right now!
This female MP was in Parliament for a year and a while ago was included in the list of nine MPs being disqualified and pulled out by the government for having cheated in election “which itself is the very first problem of the government of course”. After she was out, she complained and when no one listened, she hunger struck for being treated unfairly. Finally, yesterday on eleventh day of her hunger strike, she announces her conditions if she was to abolish the strike; one of the conditions is ‘her case should be fairly reconsidered and her votes recounted in presence of some people she named’. And since her conditions were unfavorable for the government, police were ordered to kidnap her … and the plan was carried out just last night. Here is the video of how the police kidnap the woman from her tent in front of the parliament building.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yOfmestek6Q

Suicide Attack Kills Burhan-ul-den Rabbani

It is 9/20/2011, midnight in South Korea. I’m back from the library and as I open my facebook page, I see the news saying that Afghanistan Head of High Peace Council, former President Burhan-ul-den Rabbai, who had been tasked with trying to negotiate a political end to the war but has faced total failures was killed earlier today 

Burhan-ul-den Rabbaini 'with the turban'

The media says his home is in Kabul’s heavily guarded diplomatic enclave, and the attack came just a week after a 20-hour siege at the edge of the area sometimes known as the ‘Green Zone’.

Rabbani has been killed, “Mohammad Zaher, head of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Kabul Police, has told the media”. It has happened just a few hours ago and so far there is no further information about it.

Rabbani was formerly leader of a powerful Mujaheddin party during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s and sevred as president in the 1990s when Mujaheddin factions waged war for control of the country after the Soviet withdrawal. During him time, before 2001, he was involved in all the tribal wars in the country leading his own political party ‘Afghanistan's Islamic Society’

The assassination happens just a week after a 20-hour gun and grenade attack that on Kabul’s diplomatic enclave by insurgents, and three suicide bomb attacks on other parts of the city together the longest-lasting and most wide-ranging assault on the city. (my earlier post ‘Jan Ali’ is about the previous attack in this area)..... 

As this news spreads around, people might have different discussions regarding it. Some might be somehow depressed while some others might have better feelings about it since Rabbani was one of the coordinators of some of the wars in between the ethnic groups back in late 90s after his presidency!

But no matter what people's ideas might be, even if it is not a bad news in particular, in general it is a terrifying news for all the residents of the country as Taliban are invading in the very center of Kabul city lately.

Jan Ali dies to save lives but no one saves his kids’ lives

--Recent clash killed 15 innocents and wounded 30, and Karzai paid condolences to some families who lost their members but not to all. Why not to all? It is Afghanistan--

It is past midnight now and I started to write this short not in this page as I saw this picture uploaded by a friend on Facebook.

Below is the photo of Jan Ali on his funeral day in his home. He as a loyal Hazara policeman endangered his life in the recent clash in Kabul to save others’, and finally did. His old father is standing with Ali’s kids crying for Ali Jan with not making any noise ‘as heard from a friend’. What is extremely unfair is that the dogmatic government pays deep condolences to the family of another policeman who was also killed with Ali Jan at the same battle, but not to Jan Ali’s family. Why? Well, that is how it is. The other man might be either someone from a major ethnic group in the country or he has someone in a higher position in the ‘jangly’ government of Afghanistan.

Ali's father, and his kids 

It  makes me feel insomniac for the night thinking and knowing that things in my country go horribly against the rules of human societies, while people in the world live their 21^st Century Lives, living as humanly peaceful and as best as they can.

Not because I’m an Afghan, but because I am a human being, I don’t feel comfortable knowing that Jan Ali and hundred similar men endanger their lives to serve others, and finally get killed by some non-human Talib, and the government officials don’t even send a message of sympathy to their wives and kids.

Jan Ali's kids

I think it is time for Afghanistan to either be removed from the map of the world ‘by God knows what power’ or corrected and things to get changed soon! This unbearable situation in general for most of the people but in particular for minorities like Hazaras and Uzbeks has been on-going ever since the first battles started decades ago. After 2001 people were hoping that things would change wholly. Well, they have but not really! I believe this dirty and grim war is still going on and off. The only difference is that it used to be done in groups, but now, in the worst way by some fanatic extremist zealous Taliban who have been addressed as ‘our angry brothers’ by the president of the country, Karzai, in press conferences! 




You are paid to stop the bullet
It's soldier's job, they say
So, you stop your bullet
And then they stop your pay............<E. Y. Harburg Quotes>


                                                                        

Taliban Kill Chiefs in Afghanistan

Facebook pages are plastered with the photos of Jawad Zuhak, Bamyan’s Provincial Council Chief who was abducted last Wednesday and the news of his martyrdom is released today. It is said that this abduction is not by the Taliban, but it is by the local Pashtons or ‘governmental Taliban who are often called 'my angry brothers' by President Karzai'.

Recently, the Taliban in Afghanistan have been doing more anti-human activities not only in some parts but in most parts of the country.
Within the past two months they have killed at least five well-known government functional “Non-Pashton” officials “Sayed Kheli, the Chief Commander Of Kondoz province, Gen. Khan Mohammad, the Chief Commander Of Kandahar Province, Shah Jahan Noori, the Chief Commander Of Takhar Province, and former DEA Chief of Operations Braun and former Deputy Interior Minister and the Chief Commander of Northern zone Police of Afghanistan Gen. Daud Daud” and many other civilians and low-level government officials.

Back to Jawad Zuhak; he is regionally from Bamyan province which has been quite a secure place ever since the Taliban collapsed in 2001 and its all inhabitants are from the ethnic group, Hazara

Jawad Zuhak, The Head of Bamyan Provincial Council

Zuhak had been the body guard of Baba Mazari, the ‘father’ of Hazaras in Afghanistan in 1990s, and after 2001, he has been working in different offices, putting his ultimate effort for the development of policies pursued by the government in central Afghanistan, particularly his hometown Bamyan.  His well organization is always appreciated by the people who know him. So today, by killing Zuhak, Taliban took the life of another significant component of the government of Afghanistan in Bamyan.

Zuhak’s martyrdom in the central Afghanistan shows that Taliban are not only in the south or the north but they are in every Pashton- habitant region. They are going to penetrate into the every secure corner of the country and chief kill all those who work for the government, which is a breathtaking warning/threat to the non-Pashton officials and other citizens of Afghanistan.

These tragedies are happening while the Afghan government has agreed to take the responsibility of keeping the country secure from the U.S and ISAF forces. I am writing this note to remain as a memory that if the U.S and ISAF security forces leave Afghanistan any time soon, then Taliban would make such daily tragedies in everywhere until they get the country back to the situation as before 2001.

 

Number of Afghan college goers decreases in 2011

For the past two weeks I’ve been busy with my midterm exams and projects but I haven’t stopped checking the website of Ministry of Higher Education of Afghanistan once or twice a day ever since the Konkor result has come out.

In an overall evaluation that I did about the Konkor takers in a few central provinces, there is a proportional less number of students succeeded in exam compared to last year. But very unlike the previous years, this year students from Daikondi and Herat have surprisingly succeeded entirely with not even a single failure, and such a success has not been recorded in the history of Konkor Examination in Afghanistan before.

The chart below shows the detail.

Province	Konkor Takers	Succeeded	Failed	Percentage
Kabul	37355	8750	28605	23.43%
Ghazni	5650	3675	1975	65%
Bamyan	2325	1200	1125	51.07%
Balkh	4800	2850	1950	59.3%
Daikondi	556	556	0	100%
Herat	3100	3100	0	100%
Wardak	2850	1650	1200	57.9%
Knadahar	1100	457	643	42.55%
Nangarhar	7450	1559	5891	21%

This record shows that the number of students who succeeded in higher education in 1390 is less than the last year’s record in most of the provinces. Especially in capital city, Kabul, it is terribly shocking that almost 76% of the students have failed even though they spent too much time preparing for this tough exam. 

The Kingmakers of Afghanistan

In the multi-ethnic Afghanistan, there are many ethnic groups living but they are not equally empowered in the government. I’ve witnessed minorities being forced to doing favorable jobs for those majorities ruling the country each at a time. One of the most depressed and marginalized groups is Hazara, that makes around 20% of the population of the country. For generations, Afghanistan's Hazara minority has occupied. the humblest niche in the country's complex ethnic mosaic. The political power structure has always been dominated by the large southern Pashtun tribes, followed by the slightly less numerous northern Tajiks.

During various periods in history, the Hazaras have been forced from their lands and slaughtered in bouts of ethnic cleansing. In more recent times, they have been forcibly displaced, enslaved, and subjugated by dominant ethnic groups in Afghanistan for centuries.

After 1970s, when things were unbearable for Hazaras, they started to fight for their right; freedom, justice and peace which caused them lose their countless homes, family members and properties but still they couldn’t get the peace and right of living they wanted. The Taliban overcame all over Afghanistan and kept depriving the minority ethnic groups especially Hazaras from all their own rights. People were made to leave the country and go to settle in neighbor countries with many difficulties they would have to tolerate as refugees.

Finally in 2001, after the Americans and International Security Assistance Forces ‘ISAF’ came and freed the country from the Taliban, these Hazaras started to come back to the country from neighbor countries and also from the rural areas they had gone for surviving. They came and contributed to the rebuilding of the country, though they had always been calling for peace, freedom and not destructions.

Throughout all the hardships Hazaras have gone through, there have always been several things distinguishing them from other ethnic groups in Afghanistan. The first is their strongly Asiatic ancestry which differs them from other Arab-looking Pashtons and Tajiks in Afghanistan. The second things that have always been seen in them are the strong sense of loyalty and unity. And third one is that they have always spoken for national unity and social justice. After all when things calmed down after 2001, Hazaras to be the first seekers of the long lost word of democracy, have been playing the key role of king making in Afghanistan.

For example, in 2009 election, the vote of this 20% Hazaras made a big difference and helped Karzai ‘a Pashtun tribal’ remain in presidential palace for the next five years. And in exchange for their vote President Karzai had pledges that Hazaras would be given control of several ministries and possibly a newly-created province as well. But none of those promises are actualized yet. The political atmosphere in Afghanistan is that other ethnic groups such as Pashtons or Tajiks don’t want to vote for any nontribal of theirs, even if they have the high ability to control the country skillfully. But Hazaras still express strong loyalty to such leaders and say they intend to follow their political instructions on voting day as long as the country is in a namely peace.

It is about the older generation who are satisfied with the half-stable peace in the country by agreeing to what the other majority groups say and don’t much desire for the leadership. And that is maybe obviously they still have the fear of being long marginalized. But about the new generation of Hazaras, it’s different. The new generation will no longer want to just be happy as an accepted resident of the country but they want to live like the world countries do, free, peaceful, developed and in fair. They want to be in the power where there should be no more lies, no more false promising and no more deceiving the minorities. If the dark era doesn’t return back, Hazaras believe they would reach what they want since the black Americans did.

Since the 2001 invasion, an influx of Hazaras has changed the composition of the capital. Many Hazaras now live in Kabul, making up more than one-fourth of city’s population.

All these young Hazaras have dreams 

With a new generation of Hazaras attending school in relative security and motivated by their parents’ dispossession, their success could alter the country’s balance of ethnic power. Today the Hazaras dominated provinces have the highest passing rates on admissions exams for the country’s top rung of universities. Almost more than one-fourth of college goers are Hazaras who once had only a few people in their higher educations. Similarly, there are a lot of young Hazaras studying abroad in different fields doing their graduate and postgraduate degrees. And likewise, today Hazaras own about 50 seats out of total 249 seats of Afghan parliament. Thus, this young generation is strongly hoping that they would change things soon in the country if the half-standing Afghanistan doesn’t fall down again.

In an interview that BBC had done with several Hazaras, I read the followings: “The Hazara always wanted an open atmosphere to breathe, and now we have that,” said Sarwar Jawadi, a Hazara MP. The old Afghan rulers “wanted to exploit Hazara people, and they didn’t want us to become leaders in this country or to improve,” said Qasim, a 15-year-old boy in the top of his class. But that will change. “By studying we can dictate our future.”

From a neutral perspective, all the above evidences could be seen as signs of new leadership for the future of Afghanistan from the deserving nation who were once deprived of their very basic right. Now it seems to be the time for the nation who called for democracy throughout the history, but every time suffered slaughters from other ethnic groups to stop this king making but rather be the kings of the country.    

Star Educational Society

Star Educational Society is a very popular name among the new generation in Kabul, the center of Afghanistan. It was established in 1998 in Quetta, Pakistan by a group of Hazara young men led by Mr. Atiq Nabi. It was exactly when the Taliban regime was ruling the whole country in Afghanistan. The time, when people were warned not to watch video tapes and foreign television channels received via satellite dishes. The situation was quite scary and harsh for all the people, especially for those who sought for learning English. Star continued to its services in Quetta and in 2004, while the situation wasn't still suitable enough in Afghanistan, a branch of it shifted to Kabul under the leadership of Mr. Ali Reza Yasa 'Genggis' and started offering a variety of language and further education knowledge. In 2006 Star acquired its independency in terms of administration. It is basically a privately-managed but a spiritually-supported-by-people educational organization that helps the young generation learn English professionally and fundamentally. Unlike the other private educational centers, Star is always overcrowded with countless students in different levels and timings. Star offers a wide range of English language courses for the students in different ages and in levels of, basic, junior senior, advanced and students who want to take TOEFL examination. The curriculum and the control of the organization is independently done by the managerial board and the teachers at Star and the it is restructured as if it were a business organization, but actually its vision statement is “JOIN US FOR A DIFFERENCE”.

All the teachers at Star are in young ages, energetic, highly-responsible and skillful in field of teaching English language. The teachers in some classes have the same ages as their students but they all have been selected for their high standard of classroom management skills and knowledge of teaching and training techniques. Star only employs teachers who have a proven record of success and are trustable enough to realize their great responsibly. Even though the timetable at Star, allows each students to come and study for an hour but the students will find the course efficient, the teachers friendly, effectively-working, and capable of responding to their particular learning requirements. Throughout their courses, the teachers put a lot of efforts preparing teaching plans and are supportive, understanding guide to the learning process who will monitor the progress and create opportunities for practice in a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere.. 

A group picture of some of the young instructors at Star Educational Society. 

The atmosphere at Star requires all the students not speak, but English and it is respectfully followed by every person, which as a former student in there, I think is one of the major efficient policies they have in their systematic method that helps the students learn faster and easier. And another characteristic I admire about Star managerial policies is that unlike the other educational centers in the Kabul city, Star restrictedly considers the religious and constitutional respect to any woman by men and any man by women in inside its territory.

The students who come to Star to graduate and learn English comprehensively from basic to Advanced level, would continue to follow the regular schedule “one hour/day” until two and half years. If a student follows to attend classes regularly, receive all the instructions and is a little more than lazy, I think he/she would be able to understand and speak English well within two and half years.

Star offers its services through three branches in not very desirable locations of Kabul city, but still the sincere and honest efforts they put in teaching, has gained them the reputation of being one of the best English language centers in the entire Kabul city. It has been sex years since the establishment of Star but the number of students now under the instruction in all three branches of Star is already about 8000, but this graph varies rapidly and largely as the students come from countryside in summer and winter vacations and go back. Furthermore, Star recently has established a high school which enrolls student up to 9^th grade this year and will be promoted to a full high school with admissions for up to 12th grade by next year. The number of student so far enrolled in Star high school is about 300.

A snapshot on teacher's day celebration.     The manager, instructor, and a brilliant student of Star

The system followed at Star is New American Streamline. It includes grammar, vocabulary, reading, writing and listening sections, but I believe it totally depends on how the teachers apply the contents of the books, and the materials they provide daily. As I experienced myself, everything was perfectly done but there was a little less focus on listening and visual parts “movies and videos”, which I think they are taking that in account by now too.

I have seen many other language education centers in different countries that do on-the-internet services, such as Effortless English, About.Com etc. They get many students from different countries and they sell their self-study  lessons through internet and charge the students very heavily with dollars, yet the quality of their service is not as high as the tuition fees they receive is worth. Their students spend a lot of time in online queues to ask their questions but still they don’t get much out of the course. But at Star, the students get the most out of the least possible amount of tuition fees and the time they allocate for their English courses. The only thing that matters is efficiency and techniques they use at Star. I believe if Star had had that high access to the technology as of those on-the-internet servers do, they would have had over a hundred thousand students and yet everyone would’ve been satisfied and happy. But sad and hard to say that unfortunately the new technology and better facilities are very scarce and limited in Afghanistan yet. But, I think it is still fine since William Shakespeare says, “He does it with better grace, but I do it more natural”. This quote fits Stars well since all what there is a lot are talents, skills, and capabilities and genuine minds.

July 2009, I was taking evening class at Barchi branch of SES.      the average number of students in a classroom of SES.

I studied at Star for a little over two years, and when I came out of Afghanistan, I realized that I was able to understand what the English speakers said, and also to explain what I wanted to. My only little problem was with the listening and catching some words from movies and videos I would watch sometimes. But, in not very long time I could improve my listening comprehension too. I’m now studying in an international university and have no difficulties understanding and communicating with my fellow classmates from different nationalities, for which I’m truly thankful for all my teachers at Star. And I’m fully content with the time I spent with them even though I wasn’t a remarkable or over average student.

this is in Mongolia International University, where i'm studying now. 

P.S, the photos in this post except for the last one are taken by my fellow classmate 'Ali Bahrami'

Education system causes serious problem in Afghanistan

As far as I know, and since as long ago as I can remember about the education system in Afghanistan, especially higher education, it has always been that routine-old-traditional same way of graduating from school and preparing for the tough entrance exam to college or that terrifying word “Koncor” which includes 260 less or more tough and confusing questions from all what students have learned throughout their school time. I had always thought that it must be the system the world countries follow, not until I came out of Afghanistan and found out that other countries have different system of educating the young generation. In simpler words if we compare the education system of Afghanistan with other countries, in Afghanistan is more like building a huge wall against the interest and want of  students by giving them the tough college entrance exam but in other countries it is in fact respecting what students want by enrolling them to their favorite faculties which itself is an encouragement and a motivator for students.  

There is no terrifying word of Koncor “Tough Entrance Exam, which seems impossible for 50% of school graduates to succeed and go to their long-admired majors” in other countries. Students in other countries don’t need to spend most of their time preparing only to answer around 260 perplexing questions, which might not even be that useful in their future education. They would rather get focused on their main knowledge. School students in most countries, while they are still in middle, choose which field to study in the future according to their interests and skills and surely get there. But, in the old education system of Afghanistan, only those who are super genius might be able to go to their favorite faculties. And the rest would be either enrolled to any faculty that their scores gotten in Koncor exam would match, or they would have no result at all, and need to spend more years to prepare them to fight in this same result-less battle. I myself am one the victims of this old traditional higher education system of Afghanistan. I wanted to become an engineer, but after I took the entrance exam, I was automatically enrolled to faculty of Natural Science which I’m never interested in. Ant that is I believe the main and major reason for most young people who totally leave their education after they don’t get the result they want. They get psychological problems, they lose interest in social lives and most awfully, to avoid their inside anger and sorrow of being in nowhere after all their efforts for going to college, some of these failures-to-colleges, tend to get into drug-user groups and gangsters which has become one the most serious problems for the government and a heavy burden to the society. And those who would have nothing to do after they fail the entrance exam,  surely think they would’ve very much loved to start working to be an illiterate carpenter, tailor or bus driver or etc while they were still kids if they had know they’d eventually fail to go the colleges they have admired whole their school time.

It is the responsibility of the government to devise out a plan to save the future of those many young people who are left nothing to do with their lives after they fail the college entrance exam.

If I were to suggest the ministry of higher education or those authorities who are responsible for this terrible but still ignored risk, I would say, they should either change the system of entering to college for students so that they could go and start their career in a field where their skills and interests match and fit. Or, the government should devise out a plan to provide jobs for those many young men and women who fail to succeed in going to college. So that the countless lives would be secure from risk of being jobless and so that those many women who can’t reach to colleges due to security problems and other barriers could work and get along with their lives with no serious worries and finally, so that so many similar education system-related issues would no longer be a burden for the government itself and for those many people who survive to live would no longer have difficulties with their lives.

One of the easier way the government can do is to go easier with students taking the college entrance exam, in other words, let them just choose to go their favorite colleges and witness what would come out after they graduate from their wanted-colleges. But, if the government is to keep that old system of higher education, and provide jobs for the failures, then that would be still better than nothing, but it costs the government to spend some more money on launching construction, mining, farming, raising and other possible work companies for people which surely would give satisfying results after a short time.