There has never been a peaceful transition of power in Afghanistan’s history. It has always been the bloody coups and takeovers, or family rifts that had been the dominant factor in deciding who and how should rule the country. Though very changed in nature from the previous bloody coups, the regime of Dawood Khan was also toppled by a military coup by the Peoples’ Democratic Party of Afghanistan. This was not just a takeover and regime change, but a day that would mark the start of an ideological battle and bring the cold war in Afghanistan, followed by the collapse of Soviet Union and Afghanistan indulging into a bloody civil war that took three and half decades and yet it is fought on this soil with an unknown fate.
When the corrupt Dawood regime was overthrown by the Khalqis, it started a new chapter of violent-politics that led the catalyst bloodshed in the coming decades. Though the communists’ takeover took the country into the bloodiest period of its history, but there have always been some neglected aspects of that initial period. Educational reforms and social justice initiatives introduced during that period were for the first time in the history of Afghanistan. With an ultraconservative nature of people’s beliefs, our society would have improved with some positive progressive changes. Some times i think if communism had remained for some years, it would have been the best answer to the extreme religious fanaticism that gave birth to Taliban who provided safe havens for Al-Qaeda breeding an entire generation of Jihadi terrorists from Afghanistan.
April 28, 8th Saur is celebrated as the victory day for Mujahideen when they overthrew the Soviet puppets in 1992. But that victory, unfortunately, was another bloody transition into dark era of the civil war among Mujahideen factions that took thousands of lives and made Afghans the largest refugee Diaspora in the world.
The US and NATO is on a rush of exit from Afghanistan today. Other than internal rifts and failure of Mujahideen leaders, another reason for the start of civil war was that the international community, mainly the US, left Afghanistan alone after the collapse of Soviet Union. Thus different factions indulged among themselves and Taliban emerged. That teaches the lesson for today, if once again the the international community leaves Afghanistan before completing the job, it would not be impossible that Afghanistan once again go to the era of 90s.
Kabul Perspective 