Afghan-U.S relation; from tumultuous period to deterioration

Waheed Muzhda, Journalist and political analyst

The shift of political power in U.S from republicans to Democrats in 2009 election was not a good news for Hamid Karzai. The Republicans who supported Hamid Karzai failed to won the election and the Democrats inherited war and economic problems from republicans while the war of Afghanistan and president Karzai was also part of this inheritance. And it seemed very natural that Democrats would try to bring some changes in Afghan government.

At the meantime elections was held in Afghanistan and while not had a winner in the first round it went to the second round. However the second round was not held, Hamid Karzai was announced as the winner by the Independent Election Commission which caused chill in relation between Afghanistan and U.S. As recently Robert Gates also admitted in his book that at that time US wanted to remove Hamid Karzai from power during that election.

The relation subsequently started deteriorating between Karzai and the White house, however president Karzai claimed that it is just a light and soft wrestle between him and US for the benefits of Afghanistan but in most of the times this light wrestle became serious after some incidents like killing of innocent Afghans by U.S and NATO troops.

The story of Hamid Karzai relation with US officials is not interesting as himself says, especially when for example senator Lindsey Graham responded to Karzai in his insist for releasing the Bagram detainees that “you are an individual and you cannot do anything” it clear that Americans have  never taken president Karzai much serious. They consider Karzai as a person who don’t have the support of a strong political party and even have not the support of his own Pashtuns while the country is already likely divided on the bases of ethnicity and currently Pashtuns are his government’s armed opposition.

This manner of interaction was used not only by the members of congress but officials like the John Kerry US secretary of state also had not good relations with Karzai and occasionally disagreements between Karzai and American ambassador in Kabul and military commanders also leaked to media.

While Karzai was experiencing tough days in relations with America he ignored to let the nation be in picture of the issue, therefore he is facing such problems now. He called Loya Jirga (grand assembly) for consulting over strategic partnership agreement with U.S where the members under the pressure of not to reject the agreement, brought more than 80 conditions to be fulfilled before signing the Agreement. However on the last day of the Loya Jirga Karzai promised to fulfill the 80 preconditions, but the preconditions were forgotten and American institutions and their media strongly wanted the signing of the Agreement without any precondition and Karzai by signing that Agreement(strategic partnership agreement) with president Obama agreed with the same position.

This decision caused another opportunity for the same insist through American puppets during The Loya Jirga which was called for consulting over Bilateral Security Agreement, and like the previous experience he became under pressure to sign the BSA without any precondition.

This Jirga which was called by Karzai for justifying the illegal presence of America in Afghanistan had a result opposite of his expectation. If Karzai was aiming to support his own position it became clear that he failed in achieving it. Jirga and its decisions with the speech of its 90 years old chairman defeated his position.

No doubt that Karzai with bringing together such individuals with verity of visions wanted to make the situation tough for America, but the organizers were most committed to America than coordination with Karzai’s aims which eventually caused a good opportunity for America to claim that the people of Afghanistan are more supporting America’s position than Karzai’s.

Karzai was expecting his team’s support, but now it become clear that he is alone in ARG(presidential palace). He also expects that he serve his influence on the next government, but Americans showed him their influence during the last Loya Jirga that they have even influenced in the team nearest to him. Most of the scholars who were near to Karzai in past years well know that Karzai will not be in the scene anymore, therefore for staying further in the power they will not chose Karzai comparing with U.S.

In the result of this Loya Jirga, people asked president Karzai to sign the BSA before the end of 2014 and John Kerry the US secretary of state also insisting on this said that people of Afghanistan are agreed with presence of U.S in Afghanistan and there is no need of any delay in signing this agreement.

 Insisting on the importance of this Loya jirga before its gathering,  caused that currently U.S and its afghan allies are claiming that Karzai is ignoring the desire of the nation.

If Karzai was really for the benefit of national interests he would not calling such a Loya Jirga where he gave a golden opportunity to America for propagandas in this regard.

 Anyway, Karzai in his latest press conference criticized the policies of U.S and re-insist on his preconditions for signing BSA. He insisted on the importance of U.S’s and Pakistan’s roles in peace process, but in the meantime he mentioned the Bagram jail’s problem as well. He described Bagram prison as a “Taliban-making factory” where according to him innocent people are imprisoned and after being tortured and insulted they learn hatred against the country.

However, Afghan government does not say that all the detainees are innocent and therefore investigations turned up solid evidence against 16 of them and they will be tried, but according to constitution of Afghanistan and world convention of human rights, Innocence is the original state and no one can be blamed criminal just in case a legal court where a lawyer could defend the accused has declared him.

Three conditions are required for trial, Plaintiff, the defendant, and the price point of citing the reason that the accused is tried. When the Plaintiff brings a lawsuit he must turn up solid justifiable evidence against the defendant. In the case of Bagram the Plaintiff is U.S, and defendants are the prisoners who are detained by them and the charge on them is their suspicious relation with the killing of Afghan and foreign military forces. Neglecting of how America is justifying the detaining of Afghans but Afghan government in accordance with law asked U.S to provide evidence against these prisoners. The evidence of America which is also published through so called Afghan media is just a list of defendants with charges without any evidence.

In response to that, Afghan officials also have provided a list of terrorist attacks which are according to them presumably linked to America for continuation of tensions. It seems that Hamid Karzai is entering to a deteriorating relation with U.S in the last years of his authority, while Afghanistan will be experiencing presidential election. In that kind of relations between Afghanistan and U.S, whether to expect successful election through which the political power shifts peacefully or not, is not clear.