[ Interview with Tajwar Kakar, National Unity Party ]

“Disarmament must begin within the Afghan government”

Ms. Kakar, what has turned out for the better in your country since the first International Afghanistan Conference at the end of 2001?
The most important thing is that the Taliban dictatorship was driven out and that Afghanistan now has a democratic government. Previously, women were not allowed to take part in a loya jirga but today we can.

What are the biggest problems that have to be overcome next?
The biggest priority is to disarm the militias. There can be neither peace nor development as long as armed groups hold the authority in the provinces.

How can civil society contribute to the stabilisation of the country?
Our most important task consists in contributing to the education and enlightenment of the people, and to promote democracy and living together peacefully in Afghanistan.

Are you happy with the new constitution?
Yes, very. The constitution was one of our most important goals and I hope that we can now put the text into practice. It is a great success that together – after 24 years of war – we have given Afghanistan this fundamental law.

How is the message of the constitution brought into the hearts and minds of the people?
That belongs to the tasks of civil society – but also to those of the democratic government and the mullahs. The fundamental law must also be discussed in the mosques. Furthermore, the government, which is responsible for the implementation of the constitution, must enter into a dialogue with the people, reaching out to the most remote villages and towns in Afghanistan.

Do the rulers in the provinces support the constitution?
As long as the provincial governors are armed, it will be difficult to implement the constitution. On the other hand, after 24 years of war, you can’t expect to make everything come true immediately. We need time, a great deal of time. A building can be destroyed in just a few minutes. It takes longer to rebuild it.

How can the disarmament succeed?
With God’s help, we can do it. However, we have to start in the government of President Karzai, because many of the members of the government are also warlords, who retain their power in the provinces by force of arms. We cannot achieve anything if we do not dis-empower these sections of the government. President Karzai needs support from abroad for this. The second big problem is that there are too many young people in Afghanistan without work. The warmongering parties can easily take advantage of these people to help achieve their goals. Therefore, if we want to deprive the warlords of their power, we have to provide jobs for the Afghan youth.

Was President Karzai right in postponing the parliamentary election?
Yes, because if the elections were to take place now, it would be easy to predict the winners: those in Afghanistan who have power, weapons and money.

How do you assess the international aid for Afghanistan? The donors are sometimes criticised for pursuing different goals . . .
Aid is important but it has not yet brought what we had hoped for. What I cannot understand is that there is far more money for the continuation of the war than there is for the reconstruction. It is wrong to bomb the civilian population and to justify it with the ongoing struggle against the Taliban. Many innocent people are killed as a result. The Afghans have had enough of war.

Tajwar Kakar was interviewed by Tillmann Elliesen.