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Afghanistan's Rebirth Imperiled by Its Past
Monday, April 8, 2002
By Pamela Constable
Washington Post Writer

"Our country is free now, and everyone has rights. I am here to get mine," said Mohammed Enam, 58. After returning recently from a refugee camp in Pakistan with his family of 11, he dug up some old documents he had buried before fleeing the Taliban. Then he headed for the municipal building, where he waited in a jammed corridor for approval to build a new house in Kabul.

KABUL, Afghanistan -- TWP
Each time Afghanistan takes a modest step toward peace and economic rebirth, the ghosts of its past seem to rise up and block the way.

Two weeks ago, the interim government proudly reopened public schools and welcomed girls to class for the first time after five years of strict Islamic rule. The same day, the country's exiled former king abruptly postponed his homecoming because of reported threats to his life from anti-government forces.

An independent commission on March 31 announced it had completed preparations for a nationwide electoral assembly to be held in June, including a set of safeguards to ensure the process would be safe from intimidation and violence. The next day, foreign peacekeepers grimly fitted all 21 commission members with bulletproof vests.

On Wednesday, the first battalion of a new, multi-ethnic Afghan National Guard completed its training, and officials at the graduation ceremony invoked visions of a united, "warlord-free" country. The next day, officials said they had arrested about 300 people allegedly linked to an Islamic militia for plotting violent attacks against the government.

"Only happy questions, please," interim government leader Hamid Karzai has pleaded repeatedly at news conferences called to announce foreign donations, school openings or other positive developments. But Karzai's administration -- politically weak, surrounded by potential saboteurs and dependent on international charity and protection -- often seems to be swimming against a tide of adversity.

Nearly five months after the Taliban militia collapsed under a military assault by U.S.-led and Afghan opposition forces, unleashing a surge of relief across the country and aid pledges of nearly $2 billion from around the world, Afghanistan is precariously suspended between hope and despair.
(More: WashingtonPost.com News Source)
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