Radical Movement Plays Its Own Tune

What are the objectives of the Cooperation Council of Political Parties and Coalitions of Afghanistan (CCPPCA), which has recently been formed, and what is its significance?

During recent days, a significant political event has happened in Afghanistan which has not been paid much attention to and that is the formation of the Cooperation Council of Political Parties. Most of the recognized parties and distinguished political figures of Afghanistan, including Jihadi political elites, etc. have gathered for the first time, calling themselves the Cooperation Council of Political Parties. The main demand of the Cooperation Council of Political Parties and its participating elites, who have considerable weight in Afghanistan’s political equations, was that the election must be held according to the constitution and on the presumed date. The meaning of this message was that the political parties and elites and those who, within the framework of the Afghan constitution, are active whether as the opposition or the proposition and live in this country have one concern and that is that the election, based on the constitution, would not be held on the presumed date. Now, we must see whether the measure taken by the government of Afghanistan which announced March 2013 as the time for the election is a response to this concern or not. If this is the case, we must welcome this measure. It is good that those who presently work in the government and hold power are committed to the issue that the election must be held at its legal date. But, there will be concerns if this measure has been taken as an election tactic and a temporary response to the demands of these parties and the Cooperation Council of Political Parties without being pursued in the future. Nevertheless, we must be optimistic and view this measure as a positive step in holding the election at its presumed date. But, in general, it must be considered that the run-off presidential election in Afghanistan was an incomplete and non-transparent process, the result of which could not help developments in Afghanistan. We must hope that, this time, Afghanistan will hold the election on the presumed date and according to what is written in the constitution and also that the process of holding the election will be transparent, clear and complete in order to prevent disorder in this country.

Some have stated that choosing the election date while foreign forces are still present in Afghanistan can have special meaning. What impacts, in your opinion, could this issue have on the domestic atmosphere of Afghanistan? 

It seems that this issue could just be a coincidence, because the election takes place at a time when almost no extraordinary event regarding the exit of foreign forces has happened. It seems that basically, the exit or presence of extra-regional forces in Afghanistan cannot have much impact on the process of developments related to the people who are committed to enforcing the constitution. Nevertheless, the presence of the extra-regional forces during the past ten years in Afghanistan has not necessarily been a positive event. If the issue of the exit of foreign military from Afghanistan is a real issue, it cannot be a determining factor in the developments of Afghanistan, particularly for those who are committed to implement the constitution. The reason is that they act according to the constitution and the presence or absence of the foreign forces does not impact their actions. The presence or absence of the extra-regional forces can only impact the situation of the radical groups. It is the radical movement that can take advantage of this development in any direction. We have, hitherto, seen the mutual services of the radical movement and the foreign forces. But, such a coincidence, in principle, cannot be a determining factor in a system which feels committed to the constitution. 

Considering the issue of national reconciliation and attracting moderate Taliban forces to the power structure, can the outcome of such a process be seen in this election?

There are two considerations with regard to this issue. First, basically, what source pursues negotiations with the radical movement? Is this source domestic or foreign? Second, is it a credible question to ask whether the radical movement has moderate and non-moderate members?

Basically, the plan of negotiations with the radical movement had two sources. One was the foreign source and the analysis of experts was that the collection of effective domestic and foreign elements in Afghanistan was bypassed in this process. The other source was domestic and was pursued in the Peace Council. Martyr Rabbani was in charge of this task. This process did not succeed and Martyr Rabbani practically gave his life for this commitment. As everyone remembers, he was killed in his own house by one of the people who had this ideology. Therefore, it seems that if negotiations have a foreign source, it will bypass domestic elements in Afghanistan. And negotiations with a domestic source have not been successful either.

In relation to the question of whether some Taliban elements have been attracted or not, it must be said that the radical movement basically has not yet shown any change in its behavior. Those who were previously active under the radical movement and at the present time work, either directly or indirectly, with the government are not necessarily effective personalities and they may even have false behaviors. 

Can it be predicted who the candidates would be in the upcoming election? 

The Cooperation Council of Political Parties, which was formed last week and declared its existence, includes active groups. Change and Hope, National Council, etc., are among these groups. It seems that if we are to make a prediction based on past events, the most distinguished option would be from the Change and Hope group, which at that time was Dr. Abdullah. But, the Change and Hope Coalition and Dr. Abdullah have not yet expressed their position with regard to their participation or non-participation in the election.