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Assembly of the National Maliks Association - June 2007 - Meeting with President Hamid Karzai

On Tuesday, June 19, 2007, the Welfare Association for the Development of Afghanistan (WADAN) in consultation with the head and executive board of the National Maliks’ Association (NMA), and Afghan government officials from the Office of Administrative Affairs, Council of Ministries, and President’s Office, organized and hosted the National Maliks Association’s Assembly in the Amani High School auditorium, Kabul.

President Hamid Karzai, along with members of his cabinet ministers, administration, members of the parliament, provincial council, representatives from national and international organizations, and an estimated 1,500 members of NMA, accompanied by local leaders from all provinces of Afghanistan participated in the event.

This year, the theme of the event was, “The initiatives local leaders can take to promote democracy, development, security and most importantly the rule of law to Afghanistan.” The main objective of the event was to improve interactions amongst grassroots local leaders, government officials, win the hearts and minds of the people, and to gain support from the Afghan public and to work intensively with grassroots’ organizations and the government of Afghanistan to build bridges to allow improved communication and enhanced cooperation”.

Responding to the aforementioned objective, more than 1,500 local leaders from across the country gathered to express views, offer support to the government of Afghanistan and the international community and provide critical input aimed at improving governance, stability, and the rule of law. Local leaders in attendance showed support and cooperation for bringing peace, stability, democracy and law and order to their homeland and to work closely with all stakeholders for the promotion of the public interest.

The local leaders discussed the role of their province and personal involvement in promoting peace and stability by enhancing cooperation and coordination with the government of Afghanistan and the international community and offered their support and the support of their constituents.

Mr. Gul Marjan, a member of the National Maliks Association from Khost, elaborated the role of the local leaders and expressed his belief that local leaders should work together to mobilize their constituencies to maintain security and the rule of law as well as work closely with the government to promote effective governance. He said, “It is the duty of each and everyone who is here today and those that we all represent to work for peace, development, democracy and the rule of law.” He further elaborated, “We have responsibility towards our people to promote their interests and their interests are best served in a peaceful, developed, drug free and democratic Afghanistan”. He also mentioned, “Besides being responsible to our fellow citizens, we also have the obligation before God to serve our people and fulfill our duty as Muslims, leaders and supporters of one another in the reconstruction of Afghanistan”. He offered his support to any initiative that promotes democracy, development and the rule of law at the local, national and international level.

Mr. Gul Marjan also spoke of the much needed confidence of the general public in their national government to carry out the mission of democracy and security, “Support from leaders is critical to put into practice new laws; however citizens of Afghanistan must also be willing to accept these laws with full support in order to have a civil functioning society.”

Mr. Gul Marjan continued, “Citizens must all be treated equally if any violation of a local law takes place, and no special treatment should be given regardless of status in the community, wealth or position. If citizens witness discrepancies, confidence will be lost in the new government of Afghanistan.” The audience applauded those remarks and vowed to continue to work for a peaceful, democratic, developed, drug free Afghanistan with the support from the government and citizens.

President Karzai agreed and commented that in order to gain public support; it would have to be done through adequate education of its citizens. He said that educational institutions should be established that includes and encourages both men and women to take active involvement in their local communities to educate others on the importance of law and order.

“Education and the rule of law are two important conditions that are crucial for sustainable development in Afghanistan and can free the country from dependency on others”, President Hamid Karzai stated. He continued, “With education and law and order as the main goals to help create and sustain a civil Afghan society, the government will promote and put in practice these goals through active public participation and support for those who follow the government’s vision and mission of establishing a self-sustaining and peaceful society.”

President Karzai elaborated further, “If the general public acknowledges and most importantly believes in the two basic principles of education and the rule of law, then Afghanistan would soon become a developed and a prosperous nation.”

The president also spoke of the much needed cooperation amongst government officials in a professional and dignified manner that would be an example for citizens and their interactions and cooperation amongst one another. At the international level, the government of Afghanistan should be presented as structurally sound component and should function together in a civilized manner.

He said, “Blaming one another for past and present mishaps at the local, national or international levels will not assist us in the reconstruction of Afghanistan. We must learn to work together, rather than against one another as a nation and as one people.” He strongly stated that the time had come that Afghanistan shall stand on its own feet, and to learn from other nations, regardless of what has happened in the past and we must focus on strengthening the future of Afghanistan as a nation, uplifting its people and using available resources to educate and maintain its citizens through equality and security. The president again emphasized the value of education and the rule of law in the country as the key components for a successful reconstruction process.


The conclusion of the president’s speech stated that every Afghan national must offer a helping hand to each other, assist in the rebuilding process, be cooperative to the government, and be responsible enough to reach out to all those who are in trouble. The notion of helping each other through understanding and assistance will be the determining factor for Afghanistan to succeed with its current political goals. He stated “The government of Afghanistan could provide law and order and adequate education, however, it would be up to the citizens to embrace these new changes and be willing to work with us, rather than against us”.

Referring to economic backwardness and poverty in Afghanistan, the president termed the intervention of foreign countries in Afghanistan’s domestic affairs as an external factor which bred the current troubles and needs to be resolved. The president stated that lack of the rule of law is a major challenge for Afghanistan, and therefore creates blocks between the government and the people. “The insurgency is due to the poverty, economic backwardness, political alienation, and widespread disenchantment and disillusionment,” the President said.

Referring to the establishment of democratic regime in the country as a great step towards a bright future, president, Karzai said that holding of Jirgas in Afghanistan had a long history which shows that democracy is not a new theme in our country. He said, “Afghanistan has achieved fundamental foundations such as the fair, free and transparent presidential and parliamentary elections, judicial system, democracy, and the freedom of the press”. He stressed that these foundations are the important pillars for sustainable development in Afghanistan that should be strengthened.

Pointing to the role of tribal elders in strengthening relationships between people and the government, president, Karzai recognized the need for the support of the local leaders and their involvement in every aspect of governance. He said that “tribal elders as well as religious scholars should play key roles in the rebuilding process, and in building people’s confidence and trust on the government”. He further stated, “Being an Islamic nation, people trust religious scholars and tribal leaders who are respected across Afghanistan. The local leaders should serve the nation by communicating the new Afghan Government’s vision – “education, development, democracy and the rule of law in all provinces of Afghanistan”.

Haji Bahram, a local leader from Mazar told the president as well as the ministers that Afghanistan was their country and they are determined to rebuild it. He said, “We are citizens of this country and we have the prime obligation for rebuilding it, developing it and protecting it”. He said “let’s be united and cooperative with each other in order to put an end to insurgency”. The audience agreed and vowed to do so.

In discussing economic issues, he stated that “poppy cultivation must be banned”. The president, along with local leaders supported the banning of poppy cultivation in Afghanistan. He stated that the international drug mafias were receiving the major portion of the income from the illicit trade and our farmers were receiving only a small portion of that which doesn’t justify at all the cultivation of poppy in Afghanistan”. He said “either we should eliminate illicit drugs or the drugs will certainly eliminate us”.

At the conclusion of the gathering, a question and answer session was organized for the tribal elders to ask the president and the speakers questions on issues affecting their regions. The issues were categorized on local, national and international levels. The elders raised questions about the poor economic conditions of the people and the country, while criticizing some government officials for spending money on purchasing the latest model of automobiles and who are also involved in pervasive corruption. On the international level, some elders recommended that better coordination between foreign forces and the government during military operations is necessary.

One of the Maliks told the president that Afghanistan lacked everything: there is lack of adequate security, lack of economic development, lack of effective education and lack of jobs and employment and even lack of some basic human rights and the pursuit of happiness. The Malik said we want to work together with the government and all stakeholders to address these concerns and issues provided the government is responsive to our legitimate concerns. He further said that we should all work for a bright future and for our future generation. The President applauded the offer and vowed to support the concerns of the citizens.

Responding to the concerns of the local leaders and accepting constructive criticism from the floor, President Karzai stated, “the people of Afghanistan are cooperative to the government and me, but the government is not cooperative to me”. He narrated a story that a girl who suffered a serious injury during an operation conducted by the coalition forces in Kandahar and was not provided with an immediate support by the local administration. However, local citizens took the initiative to assist this innocent girl, a gentleman closed his restaurant and took the little girl to a hospital for treatment. The President said that without the support of the local leaders and their constituents, the government could not operate.

Because of the size of the gathering and the timing limitations, President Karzai requested that the participants send their concerns, requests, suggestions and recommendations to his office through WADAN.

In order to involve people in a broader discussion with the relevant government authorities and get more specific answers for their questions, the president asked WADAN to hold another meeting between the community elders, relevant ministers and members of the administration in order to provide an open environment for frank discussion between the ministers and the local leaders.

Taking a huge interest in addressing the concerns of the participants, the President arranged a detailed meeting of his cabinet ministers with representatives of the local leaders the day following the NMA gathering.

Responding to the president’s request, WADAN held a meeting between ministers and community elders on Wednesday, June 20, 2007 at the Inter Continental Hotel in Kabul. At the meeting an estimated 100 members of NMA, community elders, some ministers and their aides participated.

During the meeting, the community elders proposed and made some specific suggestions and recommendations to the ministers. One of the Maliks from Urozgan province gave an emotional plea to the ministers. He stressed, “Right now, the residents of Urozgan do not want new markets, they don’t want clinics nor do they want educational facilities, however they wanted safety and security, and an immediate support to end violence that has erupted the province. They want the injured and dead lying in the streets from the recent bombing to be taken care of.”

The plea was articulated with such emotion that a minister promised an immediate support. The Minister of Education said that he would resign from the government if the plea was not taken into consideration immediately. He stated an intention to organize a meeting between the Director of National Security, Minister of Defense, Minister of Interior Affairs, and the representatives from Urozgan on the very next day.

The Minister of Public Health (MOPH) added that the people of Urozgan will be provided with more medical assistance immediately following the meeting. To strengthen the health service delivery, The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) immediately took the necessary steps to provide more medical assistance and supplies to the people and to the provincial hospital in Urozgan province.

Rabia, aged four, and her mother Bibi Raziqa were wounded in the fighting in June and were admitted to the provincial hospital. “The whole night she cried for her mother,” said Rabia’s uncle. The survivors and their relatives were happy about the medical assistance provided to them by the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) and said that some of the seriously wounded could have been saved if medical assistance had been provided to them on time. Some of those in serious condition were sent to Kabul for medical assistance.

One of the Maliks told the ministers that there are a lot of scholarships available for Afghan students to study aboard, but so far we have heard of no example to prove that a single disabled Afghan has been sent or selected for higher education or vocational training throughout these scholarships. The Malik asked the Minister of Education for scholarships to be given to people with disabilities, and the minister promised to do so. The Ministry of Education passed his request to the Ministry of Disabled and Martyred which works within the frame of the Afghan government and has its own set agenda, and through this procedure the Malik’s request will be taken into consideration.

Several other issues were voiced. Local leaders proposed that thorough investigation should be carried out regarding the mass killing of the innocent people who were recently excavated in Badakhshan province. They continued that the government should avoid financial corruption and eliminate the practice of bribes and should suspend all those officials involved in pervasive corruption even if governors are involved.

Wakil Sarwar Khan, a local leader from Paktia province told the ministers that the government should ban poppy cultivation, drug trafficking, and consumption, and actions should be taken against all those people who are involved in drug dealing which has given a terrible name to our country. The local leaders added that the government should disarm all ex-commanders, their armed militia and others in order to prevent potential danger, and continue to build schools, and take the infrastructure into account.

The ministers and the community elders expressed appreciation for WADAN’s efforts in organizing, creating a comfortable and open environment, and building a bridge between the people and the government in order to discuss their needs and concerns with the hopes of reconstructing Afghanistan.