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Last chance in Kabul
The war in Afghanistan
The election was a disaster. Hamid Karzai must reform quickly if he wants to save his country, and himself.
THE election is over and it was a charade. A fortnight ago, Western leaders pushed Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan’s president, into a second round of voting to wash out the stain of wholesale fraud (1m-odd votes, most in Mr Karzai’s favour were declared invalid). Now Barack Obama and others have rushed to congratulate Mr Karzai on winning another five years. Never mind that he was unchallenged because his rival, Abdullah Abdullah, withdrew, complaining that officials who oversaw the cheating had not been sacked. Never mind that those same Afghan officials quickly ruled Mr Karzai the winner, despite doubts about the legal process (see article).
Many in Afghanistan were relieved to be spared a second poll in the face of Taliban threats, voter indifference and the approaching winter. Westerners coping with the crisis were also relieved that they had averted, for now, street protests by Dr Abdullah’s supporters, which would have risked political violence and open Pushtun-Tajik rivalry.
But that is small comfort. The election has been a debacle for both Afghanistan and the West. It cost $300m, but it has deepened the country’s crisis. Since the vote, more than 170 NATO soldiers have been killed. Ever more Westerners understandably ask why their compatriots must keep dying to prop up the inept and corrupt Mr Karzai. Opinion in Britain is souring fast. This week five soldiers killed by an Afghan policeman added to the country’s heavy casualties.
Afghans, too, are losing faith in the West. The American military commander in Kabul, General Stanley McChrystal, has asked for a big reinforcement—rumoured to be about 40,000 extra troops, which would make NATO’s deployment bigger than the Soviet Union’s ill-fated one—to “gain the initiative and reverse insurgent momentum”. He says that without more Western troops and massively larger Afghan forces, more Afghans could throw in their lot with the Taliban. If so, the West will fail. His counter-insurgency plan seeks to protect the Afghan population and win its allegiance to a legitimate Afghan government. That is why this election has been so damaging: Mr Karzai’s legitimacy is what has suffered most.
Mr Karzai has a way of ignoring his Western protectors. But he should not think that he is safe for the next five years, or that America needs him more than he needs it. Mr Obama must soon make his decision, put off for the past two months, on whether to heed General McChrystal’s call for more troops, and stake his presidency on the Afghan war. Those, including this newspaper, who have advocated a big surge are finding it harder to sustain the case. Many in Mr Obama’s entourage think it is time to give up on Afghanistan; if that happens, Mr Karzai will not survive in power.
What Karzai must do?
One would hope that Mr Obama made this threat explicit in his private telephone call to Mr Karzai where he offered those mistaken congratulations. This week Mr Karzai promised to remove the “stigma” of corruption and form an inclusive government that will be a “mirror of Afghanistan”. He even urged “our Taliban brothers to come home”.
These are fine words but it is deeds that count. Mr Karzai must appoint competent ministers and replace the sycophants in his palace; he should prosecute corrupt officials; he should move his brother, Ahmad Wali, accused of being both a drugs lord and in the pay of the CIA, away from his power-base in Kandahar; and he should boost programmes to woo Taliban fighters. Above all he should launch a reform of the constitution, devolving some of his over-centralised powers to parliament, and to provincial and district governors. Best of all would be to entrust that task to his rival, Dr Abdullah.
Is that a vain hope? Mr Karzai may yet be able to regain his authority, as most Afghans will care more about what he does with power than about how he got it. Now in his second and final term in the Arg, the fortress that was home to Afghan kings, Mr Karzai must choose his place in history. If he reforms boldly, he may yet be remembered as the father of post-Taliban Afghanistan, a modern-day Abdur Rahman, the 19th-century British-backed emir who united the country. But if he sticks to his old ways, Mr Karzai could become another Najibullah—the last Communist president who, abandoned by Moscow, was strung up in 1996 from a Kabul lamppost.
FEDERAL PUBLIC SERIVCE COMMISSION
Aga Khan Road , F-5/1
Islamabad , the 26th October, 2009 SUBJECT: COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION, 2009 (CSS) FOR RECRUITMENT TO THE
POSTS UNDER FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN BS-17
It is notified that following candidates have qualified in the written part of the Competitive Examination, 2009
ROLL NO. NAME
28 Amer Ali
42 Athar Farooq
55 Bilal Sabir
65 Farasat Ali Shah
72 Farwa Saadia Batool
103 Jamal Shah Mashood
106 Junaid Ali Khan
113 Khizer Abbas
123 Maham Asif Malik
161 Muhammad Naveed Akbar
203 Rabia Abbasi
229 Syed Mansoor Shah Bukhari
230 Syed Muhammad Afsar Shah
265 Tamur Aman
271 Wajeeha Bashir
282 Zaheer Ahmad
286 Zofishan Manzoor
292 Abdullah Nayyar Sheikh
300 Arshad Ali
301 Arshad Ali
311 Azmat Ullah
333 Hina Sayeed
335 Humaira Mehmood
366 Muhammad Akbar Jan Gandapur
386 Muhammad Tamur Ali Khan Ganda
422 Saif Ullah
447 Abdul Slam
448 Abdul Wahhab Arshed
451 Adeel Khawar
466 Ali Noman
476 Asma Mubarik
Well, I have opted for Foreign Service of Pakistan (FSP) as my first preference, and believe Foreign Service of Pakistan (FSP) is not merely a profession but life. It has several facades which make it distinguished from rest of the cadres. I take this opportunity to highlight few of them. In today’s highly transformational world, FSP provides opportunities to its diplomats to compete with best of the best of the world. Challenge and change are inherent in a Foreign Service Officer's professional life of service to his/her country. A diplomat can make a difference in the world. Soon after you join Pakistan Embassy/Mission as 3rd Secretary, your challenges-oriented life embarks upon. FSP is a life time learning cadre undoubtedly. Learning and exploring discerning cultures, languages, civilizations etc. are few of the pile novel experiences which a diplomat undergoes during his career. In order to rise to the occasion, FSP officers build their capacities inline with the vibrant and dy
GOVERNMENT OF PAKISTAN CABINET SECRETARIAT ESTABLISHMENT DIVISION ***** PRESS NOTE Consequent upon qualifying the Competitive Examination, 2010 conducted by the Federal Public Service Commission, 199 candidates have been selected for appointment against BS-17 posts of the Occupational Groups/Services. 2. All the candidates are advised to send acceptance of their respective Groups/ Services on Fax No.051-9201526 or through Urgent Mail Service to Section Officer (T-V), Establishment Division, Cabinet Block, Islamabad, within fifteen days of the issuance of this Press Note, failing which, the offer shall stand cancelled and no representation will be entertained. Details of the groups/services allocated to the candidates are as under:- MERIT VACANCIES=17 PAKISTAN AUDIT AND ACCOUNTS SERVICE= 01 VACANCY S.NO MERIT NO ROLL NO NAME OF THE CANDIDATE 1 76 10232 Zain Ul Abidin PAKISTAN CUSTOMS SERVICE= 01 VACANCY S.NO MERIT NO ROLL NO NAME OF THE CANDIDATE 1 19 9691 Naseeb Ullah Khan DISTRICT MAN
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