Written by: Fateh Sami

Latif Pedram’s voice

Resonates with People’s views on Government

As we all observed Dr.  Latif  Pedram  made  an  objection  recently  in the Parliament House of Afghanistan in relation to the violation of the nationally accepted and standard Representatives’ Elections Rule and Regulations in the Ghazni province, as a result he was faced with a disgraceful  and  severe  reaction  by  a  number  of  uncivilized  Pashtun representatives linked to Pakistan, or originally coming from the other side of the Durand line.   That behavior was demonstrated contrarily to the parliamentary norm and procedure in a much unvisited manner. Dr Pedram was surrounded by a wild mob of Pashtun ethnic group in the parliament.  They were attempting deliberately to assault and to physically   harm   him.   They   were   behaving   widely,   swearing, screaming and intimidating in an undemocratic manner, being unable to  debate  reasonably  to  find  out  a  way  to  settle  the  matter  under dispute. Their attempt were nullified and pushed back by the majority of other sound minded parliamentarians.

Dividing  the  election  zones  on  the  basis  of  ethnic  divisions  in  the Ghazni  province  violates  the  election  law  rule  and  guideline.  The violation was deliberately designed and fabricated and instructed by President Ashraf Ghani to prevent unfairly the Hazara ethnic group in Ghazni    not    to    be    elected    as    representatives    of    Parliament. Consequently:

1. The voice of Dr. Pedram was raised for justice against racism, discrimination   and   fascism of   the   so   called   national   unity government.  Pedram  does  not  defend   the  rights  of  only  a particular  ethnic  group;  he  wants  justice  for  all  citizens  in  the country, irrespective of their ethnic affiliation.

2. Dr. Latif Pedram is a well-known figure. He is supported by the educated and intellectuals, moderate Muslims, individuals and clergy men. He has not been involved in any violence, criminal and human rights abuse, not favoring any terrorist activity. He

has  been  vehemently  standing  against  activities  perpetrated  by any  terrorists’  organizations  and  extremist  Islamic  groups.  He believes firmly in peace, coexistence, non-violence and mutual respect in the community.  He  is  against  ferocity  of  any  kind including  human  rights  abuse,  women  and  children  abuse  and family violence.

3. He has never supported anyone who is accused of corruption, nepotism, human rights violation and crimes against humanity. He  has  never  been  pulling  strings  behind  the  scene  to  install someone in a position. He has not used his parliamentary seat to propose his acquaintances, kens and friends as Embassy staff, governor, and minister or in any position. He only fights for the realization of the rights of the majority of people as a nation.

4. He has never taken side with the corrupt parliamentarians, but has   criticized   openly   the   governors,   law   makers   and   their supporters who are accused of corruption. His voice has always been   raised   against   the   corrupt   government   officials   and injustices which provokes enmity against him because of not being accomplice with the crooked elements in the government.

5. Reversely,  he  has  staunchly  put  forward  his  points  of  views aptly  to  the  attention  of  parliamentarians  in  a  highly  civilized and democratic manner on how to curb the corruptions, how to fight terrorists, their advocates and proponent inside and outside the   government.   He   has   been   fighting   for   justice   and   for consideration of the rights of all citizens.

6. Pedram  has  neither  set  a  deal  against  his  country  nor  has  he killed  or  assassinated  anyone  for  power.  He  is  not  accused  of receiving   bribes   and  has  not  grabbed  land  or   accumulates illegally  wealth  and  property.  He has always been a true and honest representative of his electorate.  Afghanistan is nation in which the majority has been denied of their legitimate rights due to their ethnicity discrimination and prejudice. If today Pedram is a member of parliament it is because of peoples’ support in Badakhshan   not   because   of   government   or   the   authority’s favoritism.

7. He   has   never   housed,   protected,   guided,   instructed   and transported  terrorist  groups  and  suicide  bombers  like  some parliament members who have tendency to the terrorists due to their  ethnic  and  Islamic  extremism  nature.     Pedram  stands against  the  extremist  Islamic  groups  who  oppose  "democracy, the  rule  of  law,  individual  liberty  and  mutual  respect  and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs."

8.  Pedram is supported by the overwhelming majority of people,

particularly  the  young  generation  of  various  ethnic  affiliations and  by  those  who  are  in  favor  of  peace,  tranquility,  rule  of law,  good  governance  and  justice.  He wants people to see themselves in a broad based government.

9. Contrarily   Ashraf   Ghani   has   been   misusing   the   enormous financial foreign aids and manipulating the American military presence in Afghanistan to foster discord, instability, and ethnic conflict.  He  has  been  cunningly  seeking  to  side  line  even  his close associates from power structure under various pretexts and collusions.  The  continuous  unrest,  suicidal  attacks,  bloodshed, based on undeniable evidence, are being engineered by a group of mafia, surrounding Ashraf Ghani in the palace or from inside the  government  hierarchy  with  a  linkage  to  a  ring  of  mafia, harboring in the palace.

10.  Afghanistan, like many nations in the world, consist various ethnic groups.  As a multi-ethnic nation it will be impossible to expect peace in a country if justice is not observed in   distribution   of   power   in   all   facets   of   government   and administration.

11. Mr.   Ghani   has   been   using   the   enormous   financial donations and aids to sideline the people of Afghanistan in the interest  of  those  Pashtuns  who  are  involved  in  killing,  suicide bombing  and  other  notorious  terrorist  activities.  He  is  only mindful  to  preserve  his  own  ethnic  group  in  power,  the  way Emir  Abdurrahman  Khan  and  Nadir  Khan  used  to  run  their tribal and totalitarian regimes. That policy does not work in 21 century, and will definitely be doomed to failure, facing with the resistance by the majority of people.  Ashraf Ghani needs to know that the time of racist, fascist, totalitarian and  dictatorial  regimes  is  bygone,  unacceptable  and  cannot  be imposed  on  our  people  by  any  means  and  in  any  form  and shape.  Justice will only be the guarantor of peace in this country.

12. The  reason  Pedram  calls  the  so  called  national  unity Government  and  its  allies  as  fascists  is  obvious  in  the  way  it treats  the  people  of  Afghanistan.  He  has  always  addressed  the issues  on  behalf  of  the  majority  in  Afghanistan.  If you do not believe it he is not true, then you ask the government to set an office of electronic ID cards (tazkera) in any other provinces of Afghanistan other than Kabul.  Then you will see how people will react to it.  The  government  will  not  take  such  a  step because  only  the  Pashtun  ethnic  group  agrees  to  the  terms  of electronic   Tazkira/   National   ID   card,   but   not   the   other ethnicities.

13.        When Ghani along with his allies walks from senate to

parliament wearing ' Mazor Pashtun' hat as a symbol of support for  Pashtun  ethnicity  and  shamelessly  he  speaks  just  for  one ethnicity, ignoring the other ethnicities in the country. It stands a vivid example of racism.

14. Mr. Ghani times and again has broken the constitution, the law and judiciary and acts as a dictator and fascist head of state, his behavior is portraying an emblematic fascist.

15. Mr.   Ghani’s     recent   bizarre   move   to      allow   armed Pakistani mercenary Taliban’s, in the cities under the motto of peace is a deniable evidence of a calculated collusion that he is being   involved in killing the citizens of this country, under the instruction of foreigners. The recent stupid unconditional cease fire left thousands of people killed and beheaded in Bamyan and other parts of this country.  Taliban under the peace banner availed themselves to set homes on fire in the Uzbek residential areas, to behead       poor Pashtun tribes.  The one-sided policy of peace with the Taliban was disastrous and a felony