A Peaceful Afghanistan?

 Warm greetings to all!

Regardless of where you live in the world, it is almost certain that you have heard about Afghanistan one way or another. There are many problems in Afghanistan such as unemployment reaching its peak, narcotics in every corner, and many more due to the proxy war that is waged by Pakistan against the Afghans. That is mainly why when you search up Afghanistan on the internet, the only thing that comes up is terrorists and bombings. For that reason, the culture and traditions of the Afghan people are unknown to the rest of the world. 

I am what they call an ‘Afghan Khariji’. That basically means that I am an Afghan that was brought up abroad. Unlike almost everyone in the world, I have never really had the opportunity to visit my parents' birthplace. You may be wondering, why can’t this dude visit those places? Well, it’s complicated. The provinces where my parents were born are currently controlled by the infamous Taliban. Visiting those provinces will most likely put my life in danger. They impose laws that violate the very basics of human rights. Unfortunately, violence is rising in Afghanistan at the moment and the Taliban are gaining more ground. An increase in violence and barbarity is something that my fellow Afghans are familiar with in Afghanistan. 

All this had me thinking, what if there was no war in Afghanistan? What if I could roam around my country just like anyone in America could? One of the wishes I have in life is to one day take my future family for a trip to a peaceful Afghanistan. Trust me when I say it, even though my fellow countrymen have been through a lot of pain and suffering, Afghans are the most hospitable people in the world. The hospitality in Afghanistan can’t be found anywhere else in the world. Hospitality is one thing, the beauty of Afghanistan is another thing. For instance, I am currently in Kabul and every morning I make sure to go to the rooftop of Netlinks and just admire the beautiful mountains of Kabul. I hope that one day when peace comes, everyone around the world can have the opportunity to come and have a look at the beauty this country has in person. 

Sadly, I really can’t say when peace will come to my beloved country. The fact that the American and Nato forces are almost done with their withdrawal doesn’t really help aid the situation here in Afghanistan. Nonetheless, I am putting my hope on the Afghan peace process to be a success. As the famous Rahman Baba said, ‘The response to hate is not hate, leave them in awe with love.’