Karzai complained governors were acting independently from central government

By Nadeem Shaker, IOL Afghanistan correspondent

KABUL, June 8 (IslamOnline.net) – The failure of the interim Afghan government to honor its pledges to the Afghan people stems from the weak personality of President Hamid Karzai, his incapability of controlling provinces governors and the U.S. intervention in the country’s internal affairs, Mohammad Attai, an expert at Afghan affairs, told IslamOnline.net.

“As days go by, the Afghan people have come to realize that Karzai’s weak personality is the main reason behind the failure of his interim government.

“The different segments of the Afghan people are on board that Karzai failed as a president of the interim government in the war-scarred country,” Attai told IOL.

Karzai does not “hold the characteristics of a successful leader, with a weak and dependent personality and inability to hold officials and culprits accountable,” said the expert.

He recalled that the interim government had pledged to fight backwardness in the country, entrench democracy and freedom as well as improve living standards of the Afghan people.

“One year after the interim government had assumed power it stopped short of fulfilling its promises,” Attai stressed.

“Afghan governors are acting as if their provinces were independent and had nothing to do with the central government,” he noted.

Attai said Karzai himself had grumbled that the governors, without prior permission from the central government, hammer out agreements with other countries, establish military bases and pay the salaries of their employees.

He added that Karzai had also accused the governors of corruption and exploiting customs duties and taxes – estimated at $550 million.

“The government is missing out on its natural resources and heavily depends on foreign aid, which goes directly to relief efforts instead of rebuilding the country’s infrastructure and profitable projects,” the Afghan expert asserted.

‘Disharmony’

Attai further attributed the failure of the government to “disharmony” among its ranks and the power struggle between the three main coalition parties, namely,  “Al-Mujahdeen (Northern Alliance), the Westerners (Afghans who lived in the West and got accustomed to its traditions and culture) and communist Afghans.”

He also pointed to the bloody conflict between the Northern Alliance leaders, particularly Abdul Rashid Dostum and Atta Mohammad.

“Not to mention the opposition groups, which are scattered across Afghanistan and have served as a thorn in the side of the interim government and the ISAF (International Security Assistance Force).”

The U.S. interference, the expert added, into the country’s internal affairs also contributed to the failure.

“The U.S. is acting like an independent government inside the central one,” Attai said, adding that Pakistan and Iraq were also meddling in Afghanistan affairs.

He concluded that Karzai’s government has achieved nothing but establishing the national council (loya jirga) and luring foreign aid.