Ashraf Ghani is no longer an ethnonationalist

On February 5, in a little bit of writing printed within the belief section of Al Jazeera English, creator Eisa Khan Ayoobi categorized Afghan President Ashraf Ghani as an « ethnonationalist », sexy many these which possess been following Ghani’s political occupation and tenure as president closely.

I if truth be told possess known Ghani for my portion for lots of years – I served as the senior policy adviser at the Afghanistan Security Transition Commission which he chaired, I turned into a member of his electoral marketing campaign crew on behalf of the Afghanistan Social Democratic Party, and for the previous yr, I if truth be told possess been serving as a deputy minister in his National Cohesion Authorities. I can confidently explain that the president I do know and work closely with is no longer an ethnonationalist.

In his article, Mr Ayoobi implied that President Ghani came to energy as result of a fraud-ridden election. It is correct that the 2014 presidential election in Afghanistan turned into a no longer easy one, with in model allegations of irregularities. But in September 2014, Afghanistan’s election payment conducted a UN-backed audit of all votes to lay the aforementioned fraud allegations to rest and declared Ghani as the marvelous winner of the election.

Though Ghani’s victory turned into confirmed by each and every native authorities and independent global observers, the Afghan society turned into soundless deeply divided following the tough electoral course of. The Pashtun majority within the nation, who overwhelmingly voted for Ghani, turned into articulate with the closing election result, but his rival Abdullah Abdullah’s supporters possess been soundless upset. To bridge these divisions interior the society, even supposing he turned into below no duty to realize so, Ghani agreed to the formation of a National Cohesion Authorities (NUG) wherein he would half energy with Abdullah. When President Ghani visited Washington in March 2015 along side Abdullah – who had become Afghanistan’s first chief executive officer thanks to the agreed energy-sharing mechanism – the then US foreign secretary John Kerry applauded Ghani for taking the sort of unifying stance following the election.

« [Ghani] turned into no longer required by any legislation, by any rule, by any precedent to half energy and make a team spirit authorities, » Kerry acknowledged. « But, he did so which capacity of he believed it turned into within the correct pursuits of Afghanistan and it turned into be taught how to circulation forward. »

Which capacity fact, the formation of the NUG in itself would possibly perchance presumably well fair additionally be considered as a transparent indication that President Ghani is no longer an ethnonationalist but a unifying power working to lift the divided Afghan society together.

Ghani owed his electoral success to the Pashtun neighborhood, but he soundless made obvious that totally different ethnicities of Afghanistan are represented in his authorities. This day, these chosen by Ghani as ministers, heads of basic independent directorates and key advisers should no longer finest Pashtuns. About a of Ghani’s strongest ministers and closest advisors are also non-Pashtuns or Dari-speakers. He also makes second-tier appointments, akin to deputy ministers, in accordance with advantage and no longer ethnicity. Ghani even angered or alienated some Pashtun activists who actively supported him for the length of his electoral marketing campaign by no longer offering them positions in his authorities.

Essentially essentially based on the Afghan structure, Pashto and Dari are the 2 reputable languages of the suppose. President Ghani, an ethnic Pashtun, delivers nearly most of his public and reputable speeches in Dari – the differ of the Persian language spoken in Afghanistan. Equally, he speaks within the cupboard and totally different high-level conferences basically in Dari. He does so intentionally to indicate that he’s the leader of Afghanistan and no longer merely the guide of the Pashtun majority that voted for him.

It needs to be properly-known that Afghanistan’s Pashtun establishment has historically played the characteristic of « Gigantic Brother », offering candidates from ethnic minorities basic positions within the authorities in an strive to reassure minorities that they are a basic section of the Afghan society. President Ghani’s political behaviour in the case of going thru Afghanistan’s ethnic minorities fits very properly with this unwritten rule that has prolonged been practiced by Afghanistan’s Pashtun rulers. Some Pashtun political circles are increasingly extra severe of such conduct and defend into consideration it as a gateway to the slack marginalisation of the Pashtun majority, while others mediate it as a political necessity to withhold the multiethnic nation united. President Ghani clearly has the same opinion with the latter neighborhood.

The peace deal President Ghani signed with Hezb-i-Islami birthday party leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar would possibly perchance presumably well fair soundless even be considered as a gargantuan breakthrough in peace efforts and unification of the Afghan society. Hekmatyar is no longer merely a tribal chief but the leader of 1 in every of essentially the most influential Islamist political events within the nation. The peace settlement that introduced him into the mainstream politics turned into in accordance with nationwide consensus. The settlement turned into extensively welcomed each and every nationally and interior global circles, because it turned into for the increased perfect of the nation. This settlement turned into welcomed which capacity of many folks agree that Hekmatyar doing politics interior the confines of Afghan structure is a thousand times better than a scenario wherein he takes up arms in opposition to the suppose, jeopardising our nationwide security.

In this context, it is apparent that President Ghani can no longer be categorized as an « ethnonationalist ». Obviously, Ghani would possibly perchance presumably well very properly be labelled as a nationalist within the broader sense, as he’s a die-laborious patriot, but his patriotism is no longer in any map restricted to the Pashtun ethnicity. As much as now, he has played the characteristic of a unifying resolve for all Afghans, and it is going to surely give him an edge over his political rivals within the upcoming presidential election.

The views expressed listed listed below are the creator’s dangle and save no longer essentially mirror Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.