Translation of Remarks Delivered by President Ghani at the
Ceremony Marking Afghanistan’s 96th Independence Anniversary
Arg. Kabul,
August 19, 2015
In the name of Allah, the most merciful, the most compassionate
Your Excellency Vice-president Danish, Dr. Abdullah, Professor Mujadedi, House
Speakers, Religious Scholars, Mr. Kashaf, distinguished members of cabinet,
foreign military friends from the RSM, members of the corps diplomatic, army
generals, officers, ladies and gentlemen! Asalam u Alaikum
At the very outset, I would like to congratulate our people on this great day, the
anniversary of Afghanistan’s Independence.
Let me begin this auspicious day with a message of gratitude to our brave security
and defense forces who, with great devotion and valor, are protecting our land
against vicious and malign designs hatched by the enemies. You are the true sons
of those who got the independence.
We are proud of these brave men and women and we are all greatly indebted to
them and will continue to value and remain grateful for their sacrifices.
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In recognition of their service, we have dedicated one thousand state medals, most
of which would go to soldiers, officers and personnel of our security and defense
institutions. A number of these medals are also dedicated for religious scholars,
university professors, teachers, prominent female figures, families of victims and
martyrs, people with disability and those with distinguished service.
I have also directed that army corps commanders may be promoted up to the rank
of Lt. General. Furthermore, we have introduced the reforms necessary in the
promotion system for pilots, doctors and other members of our security and
defense forces.
In addition, we have instructed that any member of the force that gets injured or
hurt receives proper medical care. For that purpose, we have amended the
procurement law to allow for such members to get the highest quality medication.
Our commitment toward the families of the victims of security forces remains
strong. I would also take this opportunity to thank Dr. Abdullah and Vice-President
Danish for their participation in the meetings of the National Procurement
Commission to address the problems of our defense and security forces.
We can no longer see our forces to suffer from basic needs such as food and
clothing. We are all indebted to the sacrifices of our troops. We pray for their souls
and feel utterly responsible toward their families.
The senior government leadership will be closely following up this issue. We have
decided that all nutritional needs of our security forces be supplied and ensured by
local products so that local production is supported and our farmers and producers
can benefit from.
Dear compatriots, honorable parents!
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You deserve the greatest appreciation and gratitude for sending your sons and
daughters to serve in the army and police to protect the dignity of this land. It was
through your patriotic cooperation that our army recruitment has seen a 9 percent
increase over the past few months. By the passage of each day, we see dramatic
increase in the number of applicants willing to join their security forces in
defending their country.
Our security and defense force is all volunteer and this proves that there has been
no compulsion in the job to protect the independence and stability of this land.
Last year this time, it was perceived that with the pullout of foreign troops and the
transfer of security responsibility to afghan forces, the enemy could take over some
provinces. However, our brave forces both police and army denied enemy any
chance to establish control over a district let alone a province. Any enemy effort
for advancement has been responded with strength.
Our security forces have demonstrated a full harmony in both action and mobility.
They know how to handle a war and are driven by a strong conviction and sense of
patriotism. They don’t fight for salary and had it been the case, they could have
joined civilian institutions where salaries could be higher. Our force serves their
country at own will and under no compulsion. So, in view of all the facts, we can
proudly claim that as a patriot force that believes in a strong, united and stable
Afghanistan, the Afghan force fights for their country and not for a group or any
individual interests. I am honored to serve as commander in chief of such a
dedicated force.
Ladies and gentlemen!
Allow me to clearly state that insurgents are mainly responsible for the civilian
casualties in the war. It is these insurgents that place mines and bombs on roads
commuted by civilians. It is these insurgents who conduct suicide bombings in
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civilian bazaars, play grounds, Eid gatherings, weddings and even funerals and
mosques and use civilian homes as shields. Our forces on the contrary are doing
their utmost to avoid any harm to civilians. There have been many instances where
insurgents have used civilian homes to target our troops, but our forces have shown
restraint and did not respond for fear of harming civilians.
It is important to thank the religious scholars who have consistently supported the
upright stance of our National Security and Defense Forces and have strongly
condemned killings, terror, insecurity and bloodshed in the country. The truth of
the matter is that this is not new and that religious scholars have always played an
important role throughout history, particularly in gaining the independence we are
celebrating today. The religious scholars supported Ghazi Amanullah Khan and
paved the way for Afghanistan to become a free and independent state like any
other free country.
The Independence Day provides an opportunity to celebrate and congratulate each
other on achieving a great honor. It is also an occasion to reflect upon our
historical experience and take steps towards the future in light of that experience.
The honor of this great historical achievement is invariably linked with the name of
King Amanullah Khan, but its importance transcends him as an individual because
it is not only that he gained the political independence but that he presented a
vision for state building, which has provided the basis for governance even decades
after.
He undertook different programs for development of the country like
constitutionalizing the king’s powers, free press, modernizing the education
system, giving space to human resources to participate in social and political
activities, launching railways etc. Although he couldn’t complete what he had
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started as there was no consensus on reforms, the unity within political elites was
tarnished, Afghanistan became politically isolated.
After Amanullah, many tried to continue his way like King Mohammad Zahir
Shah in the decade of democracy and Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan during his
tenure as Prime Minister and then as President. All tried in one way or another to
reopen and complete King Amanullah’s agenda and bring closure to this
incomplete chapter of our history. Yet, the Soviets brutal invasion drove
Afghanistan into another phase of colonial captivity as well as national resistance
at a time when most countries were gaining independence. Using this opportunity,
I would like to pray for the souls of all those Mujahedeen who sacrificed their lives
in the fight for Independence.
The enemies want Afghanistan government weakened and dependent but our
people’s hope and the country’s fundamental need is that Afghanistan should have
a strong, united and legitimate government able to protect its short, medium and
long term interests.
South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore were in a similar position but managed to
have purposeful achievements to secure their future. They could transform
themselves into strong and credible nations instead of getting stuck in the vicious
cycle of poverty, insecurity and deprivation.
Dear Countrymen and women!
We only have a few options to choose from: one is that we commit political suicide
and by political suicide, I mean to say that instead of strengthening the
government, we cause to erode - knowingly or unknowingly - the trust and
confidence of the people in the government and axe its roots.
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The second way is to live half way in between. That is, weakening the government
by abusing power and trampling upon the rights of our citizens, especially the
women, the youth and the poor – this way, we will be doomed to live in a state of
perpetual conflict between hope and crisis.
The third and the best way is national unity, which is only attainable through
conscious implementation of the constitution. The Constitution has stipulated the
rights and obligations of the state and citizens, provided a framework for power
succession, which has traditionally been a source of conflict, and it has paved the
ground for realization of the aspiration of the people. Needless to say is that a
government which represents the will of its people shall also remain accountable
before the same people.
Independence of nations is gained above all through the harmony of thought and
action of its people and government. The basic equation is the unity of the
government, people and security forces. A government that represents the will of
its people can in no way be considered separate from the people.
Instead of focusing on the shortcomings of the government, we should ask this
question: “how can we become a successful nation?” The government should only
represent and act upon the will of its people. Instead of complaining about security
forces, it is for every Afghan to feel responsible toward security. The job of the
government is to pave the ground for participation of the people in national issues
and tasks.
Honorable compatriots!
With people participation, the enemy will be facing a nation rather than a specific
defense and security force. We have always been speaking of two concepts,
security and stability that differ from one another. Security is ensured by the
legitimate use of force, while stability is established through joint efforts, public
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participation and public confidence. People’s role in a national jihad for
Afghanistan’s survival and stability is as significant and constructive as that of the
military.
The National Unity Government has taken fundamental measures to this end. The
Office of President is transforming into an entity that only facilitates government
affairs and follows up the execution of decisions. The entire government entities
from National Security Council to the Council of Water are being transformed. The
cabinet is the principle decision making body, and I am happy to announce that
about 50% of initiatives come from within the ministries themselves. The work at
provinces is being systematized, and the performances of more than 20 provinces
have been reviewed and assessed.
The National Unity Government was not an accident, but based upon our
experiences of the past. The NUG is getting stronger by day. This government has
a clear domestic and foreign policy. You may remember that during my recent
press conference, I had a clear message to our neighbors that fighting terrorism
should be placed on the top of the agenda for the entire region. We wanted to make
it clear that no one can impose their wills upon Afghans through threats and
violence. However, we will still remain open and supportive of the idea of a
dignified and enduring peace and good relations with our neighbors.
In our foreign policy, we have stated that Afghanistan can have a bright future. We
are a poor people, but a rich country. We have enough natural resources to ensure
our prosperity. And it is obvious that political independence cannot last if there is
no economic growth. Therefore, improving people’s economy, prosperity and
welfare constitutes our fundamental objectives. We have made instrumental efforts
in this regard, and we are confident of the results by beginning of the next year.
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One of the objectives of the recent terrorist attacks was to harm the international
investment in Afghanistan. We have made it clear that in absence of a peaceful and
prosperous Afghanistan, the whole Asia will not economically prosper and the
world may not be able to maintain stability. We are the heart of Asia and as long as
the heart is in trouble, the whole body (Asia) will be in trouble.
Let me clearly stress that in today’s world, being independent from others should
not and cannot mean being isolated from others. Today, Afghanistan is facing
various challenges and to overcome them requires that we should have good and
close relations with the region and the world. Within the last ten months, we were
able to secure the cooperation of most of the friendly countries in the areas of
training, equipping and financing our defense and security forces – for which we
are grateful and particularly to Gen. Campbell. To achieve peace, prosperity and
development, we need the support of our international friends.
Ladies and gentlemen!
During King Amanullah time, political participation was not up to the level to help
the reform process succeed, while today this political understanding is so
tremendous. We hope that the decisions we make today in passing a historic test of
our time are not misjudged by the generations to come and that these decisions are
not counted as another chapter in history that was left incomplete. The
responsibility goes to all of us to make efforts to establish functioning institutions
and in turn have a strong government, dynamic economy and a democratic system.
We all will die, but Afghanistan will live. Again, it is the responsibility of all
Afghans including politicians, soldiers, religious scholars, leaders, poets, artist and
every section within the society to make sure that this country should not have to
remain a vulnerable country forever.
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We also understand that those of the Afghans who live out of the country even in
most developed countries, their hearts beat for their country, and we want to call
on them to get united and take part in building and development of their country.
Afghanistan is the honor of every Afghan, and every Afghan must defend his/her
honor. Afghanistan is no one’s gift to Afghans, rather it is the result of countless
sacrifices throughout centuries and especially the last two. It is therefore upon us
all to protect and preserve this historic legacy and to ensure its prosperity and
stability.
Long live Afghanistan!
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