Afghanistan will forever remain a free country!

19 August is Afghanistan's Independence Day. Afghanistan received its independence 100 years ago. Of course, Afghanistan is still a free country. We and all Afghans are proud of our freedom. Despite the 40-year war, the Afghan people have defended their freedom and have not given it up.

The Afghan government has planned major celebrations to mark Afghanistan's centenary of independence, for which it plans to spend 384 million AFN ($4.8 million US). This is at the private request of Mr Ashraf Ghani and some people who want to stage the celebration for their own pleasure and make themselves popular.

We and the Afghan people oppose this project by the Afghan government. This continues the waste of money from public funds that has been going on for 18 years.

Afghanistan is currently suffering from war and poverty.  As a result of the war, many Afghans have lost their family member. They suffer daily from grief and despair. These people will not accept such a massive celebration. Also, taking into account the very poor security situation in Afghanistan, it would be irresponsible to organise festivities that would expose the lives of the civilian population to unpredictable risks.

According to the latest current situation report by UN Special Envoy Mr Tadamichi Yamamoto, up to 80% of the Afghan population is suffering from poverty. According to media report, more than 600,000 Afghan women are widowed. Most of them have children for whom they cannot even afford bread. The money should be distributed to the widows instead of being spent on this party. It would be a cause for joy and celebration if we helped the poor who have little to eat and saved them from their plight.

For the above reasons, Mr Ashraf Ghani's plan is a shame which he should immediately stop.

When we take over the government, we will call on those 400 to 500 people who have enriched themselves with millions of dollars in public money to repay the misappropriated money to the Afghan Treasury.  A number have already signalled their willingness to repay the funds they have misappropriated, to the future Afghan government. We welcome this and will use this money to finance an additional pension for the widows of Afghanistan.

In our opinion, the independence of Afghanistan should be celebrated in an appropriate way, for example, with entertainment and reports on TV. 

With best wishes

Hayattullah Maiwand

1.Chairman of FDPA