Finish the campaign with a massive rally Taliban opposition and called for a boycott

Kabul, 17 Aug 2009. - Thousands of Afghans marched to the stadium in Kabul to provide support for the main opposition candidate, Abdullah Abdullah, the last day of the presidential election campaign in Afghanistan, where Taliban reiterated their call to boycott.
The elections, in which the favorites the current president, Hamid Karzai, will be held on October 20 in an atmosphere of complete uncertainty about the threats of Taliban insurgents, that described as "propaganda" American in a statement posted on the Internet .
The Taliban have denied that any agreement reached to allow the process, the authorities had announced one in July in western Badghis-and said that "most of Afghanistan" is under its control, so "there is no possibility of holding elections" , said, "except in a few cities and provincial centers."
Despite the fundamentalist threat, thousands of people with hats and flags came today celestial city stadium to wrap Abdullah, a dentist and former foreign minister who polls show the main rival of Karzai.
The candidate himself came to the dais between shoved and dragged by a horde of followers that his private guard, a group of Tajik armed with "Kalashnikov" - barely able to contain, to the point that several people suffered bruises.
In the stadium, followers of Abdullah uttered shouts of support for their candidate, a former lieutenant of Ahmed Shah Massoud, the leader of the Northern Alliance killed by fundamentalists in 2001 - whose photographs dominated the stage.
"Everyone wants change in Afghanistan and we are confident we will win," said Efe a spokesman for the campaign, while a white helicopter threw leaflets over the stadium to the delight of the audience with a message for change.
The last known survey published by the American Institute IRI, gives Abdullah 26 percent of the vote, behind the 44 percent awarded Karzai, a result that would the two candidates to a second round.
"To help youth, you must all lean to the national development of Afghanistan. Help me to win and I will help you, "he desgañitaba the candidate before the microphone as the crowd chanted his name and called it" useless " Karzai.
According to experts, the vote of Abdullah, father and mother Pashtun Tajik proceed on all of the members of this last race, second in the country and mass today at the stadium in Kabul, the place used by the Taliban to execute inmates.
Presidential elections are marked precisely by the threat of boycott of the Taliban and their attempts to derail the process with actions, such as the attack on Saturday at the ISAF headquarters in Afghanistan, which resulted in seven deaths.
Although the Government has promised to mobilize all its resources to protect the elections, Afghan Interior Minister Mohammad Hanif Atmar, acknowledged Efe on Sunday that its forces will not be able to guarantee one hundred percent security.
In their race to proclaim the winner without a runoff-for what you need more than 50 percent of the votes, Karzai spent today to rest and his team announced the withdrawal of four candidates that they will support the president.
"We met with him and saw that is committed to democracy and development in Afghanistan," said Efe one of them, Dr. Nasin Anise, who denied having negotiated a position in a hypothetical future government of Karzai.
President, Pashtun, has joined so far supports a dozen candidates and commitment to add votes of the various Afghan ethnic groups, although their opponents accuse him of having given to this to regional warlords and former "warlords".
"Seeing the kind of national political participation and we have created and the fact that a dozen candidates support us, things have worked well," said Efe campaign spokesman for Karzai, Waheed Omar.
Abdullah today visited several provinces in the afternoon, as did the candidate Ashraf Ghani and Ramazan Bashardost, the latter an eccentric candidate who has run his business from a tent in Kabul and has moved it to the third position estimate to vote.

Government assumes that Taliban will practice mass intimidation at the polls

Kabul, 16 Aug 2009. - Afghan officials announced today that its forces will observe a ceasefire on August 20 presidential election day, and acknowledged Efe that provide an insurgent campaign of "massive intimidation" with a view the elections.
Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak, a colleague of Interior, Mohammad Hanif Atmar, and the head of the Afghan secret service, Amrullah Saleh, staged a press conference to calm things down a day after Taliban attack resulted in seven deaths at the ISAF headquarters in Kabul.
"To say that perfect peace will be difficult, but we must be prepared for every eventuality," he admitted Efe conference after Defense Minister, who promised to "work hard" to ensure the process.
Warzak announced the media that the Afghan authorities establish a triple safety net, made ​​by the Police, the Afghan army and ISAF the Force (ISAF) for election day.
Said Efe Minister Afghan troops are also to abstain from developing offensive operations on the day of the election, but will answer any possible attack by the Taliban, who have called the population to boycott the process.
The electoral commission has ordered 6,500 polling places, 400 more than in 2004, but there are concerns that insurgents are present mainly in the south and east of the country, commit assaults and attacks to prevent the holding of elections.
The joint press conference was in fact only a day after the suicide bombing by an insurgent against the ISAF headquarters in the heart of Kabul, which killed seven people and wounded other 91.
The interior minister, Hanif Atmar, said that security forces have foiled 62 attempted attacks in the last six months and ensured the involvement of police in the elections far reaching capabilities.
"We will deploy all our resources to protect our people, 'said Atmar Efe. But we know for sure that the enemies of Afghanistan will do the same to hurt. "
Atmar admitted however that his government can not ensure one hundred percent of the voting security in a time when the Taliban have stepped up their activities and increased its presence new parts of Afghanistan.
The insurgents, embarked on a campaign of assassinations and attacks on political activists and candidates, especially in rural areas, have come issuing threatening pamphlets citizens who decide to vote the next day 20.
"We know, Atmar said that the Taliban-resort mass intimidation, terrorist attacks, suicide bombings and attack the convoys and people with election material. "
Front provided to insurgent actions, the head of Afghan intelligence services (National Directorate of Security) revealed Efe that his organization is developing work to encourage participation and mobilization of voters.
"We are going to tribal leaders to help us to mobilize people. The proof is that yesterday in Helmand (south) a candidate was able to gather a crowd at an event just 24 hours after a suicide attack, "confided Amrullah Saleh, referring a rally of the current president, Hamid Karzai.
"It's not necessarily support to a particular candidate, but that increase participation, "he added.
Neither Saleh nor Wardak and Atmar could quantify how many of the 6,500 polling stations will be impossible to guarantee security, although a European Union observer said Efe that so far no evidence of fraud in the campaign.
According to surveys, the current head of state, Hamid Karzai, has a large advantage in estimating vote on their rivals, but with a percentage that is less than 50 percent needed to be declared president in the first round.

The democratic turn of the old Taliban

Kabul, 16 Aug 2009. - The unique candidate "Rocketi" converted former Taliban commander the cause of Afghan democracy, stands out from the quarantine Hamid Karzai rival in the upcoming elections and appeals to the Presidency the insurgents to "leave the desert" and follow suit.
Dubbed "Rocketi" for his handling of the bullets in his time as "mujahedin" against the Soviet occupation, Abdul Salam gestures seriously before hundreds of men barbados-the majority Pashtuns, who have traveled from southern and eastern Afghanistan listen.
"Rocketi" occupied a senior Army during the years of Taliban fundamentalist government, but in the fall of the surrendered their weapons and became to the democratic cause after a passage of nine months in jail, and with foreign troops in the country.
"I do not keep count of how many rockets launched in my life have I-ironic" Rocketi "in an interview with Efe, shortly after a rally in the capital. But in Afghanistan it is time for peace. Touch negotiate with the Taliban. "
After fighting the Soviets, enlist in the Taliban and go after the Afghan Parliament, "Rocketi" measures these days its potential as a candidate the Presidency of Afghanistan's elections on 20 August.
And the audience, composed of hundreds of men with turbans, long beards, and six women in "burqa", launches cries of "Allah is great" in support promises of former Taliban commander: Islamic justice, peace, zero tolerance to corruption, security and work.
"Rocketi" listening interventions laid the tribal leaders turned on, the poems of interlude, an open letter from a child and verses sung without instrumental accompaniment, as a musical tradition still used by the Taliban themselves.
His followers embody the part of Afghanistan that refuses to adopt foreign influences and clings to the traditions of the ethnic Pashtuns-largest in the country, based on loyalty the tribe and a very conservative reading of Islam.
And so it happen during the cries for action of this former Taliban who, as a student at the podium, "or accept the customs of foreigners or change clothes just because you (north) Americans in Afghanistan."
"They are foreigners who do not leave us to progress. Countries like Russia, Iran and Pakistan did not allow the development of Afghanistan. We must strengthen our security forces to march foreign troops here, "Efe is justified to the candidate.
Although the view of analysts the possibilities of "Rocketi" are almost nil, according to a recent survey, is one of the most unpopular candidate-his importance lies in the example can be assumed for the Taliban still fighting in the country.
Afghan President himself and top seed in the elections, Hamid Karzai, has, as promised star, albeit unsuccessfully, a settlement offer to the moderate Taliban to lay down their arms and enter the democratic process.
"If Karzai is the most successful trading. So the war will end, "says Efe in the audience the old "mujahideen" Mohammed Nader, come from the northern province of Kunduz, who otherwise believes that the government has not given satisfaction the "jihadists".
The democratic conversion "Rocketi," however, has gone bad their former allies fundamentalists, that in this campaign have attacked twice his actions and killed one of his associates, having urged the population to boycott the elections.
"They are wrong-regrets actions cranky former insurgent commander table while his beard. The Taliban in Afghanistan must respect the democratic process and vote candidates. The people of Afghanistan want peace and stability. "
"Rocketi" says the campaign have spent every penny he got for selling your home, some $ 82,000, but says it will be worth if the disbursement is for Afghanistan from again the path of development.
And his followers, with prayers, calling for the "success of the brave 'Rocketi'" the controversial and former Taliban commander from Jalalabad that is now used in the "insurgents leave the desert" and begin to march in the same direction as the other Afghans.

The Pashtuns

Pashtuns or Pathans are an ethnolinguistic people located mainly in Afghanistan and in tribal areas of western Pakistan. The Pashtuns have the hallmarks of the Pashto language use and practice of Pashtunwali code, a traditional old code of conduct and honor.

Pashtun society consists of many tribes and clans which were rarely united throughout history, until the emergence of the Durrani Empire in 1747. During the Anglo-Russian rivalry (known as The Great Game), played a vital role because the limit of both empires coincided with the settlement area. For 250 years the Pashtuns were the dominant group in Afghanistan, and stirred up the world's attention with the Soviet invasion of the country (1979) and with the rise and fall of the Taliban because of their ethnicity should be the main contingent of the fundamentalist movement. Pashtuns are also an important community in Pakistan, where are the second largest ethnic group.

The Pashtun population is estimated about 42 million people, but there is no official census in Afghanistan since 1979. There are about 60 major tribes and, within them, more than 400 sub-clans.

Demography. The vast majority of Pashtuns live in a belt stretching from southeastern Afghanistan to northwestern Pakistan. There are also Pashtuns in Pakistan's northern areas and in eastern Iran. They have a small presence in India, while in recent years have seen the small communities of immigrants in Europe, North America and the Arabian Peninsula. The major metropolitan centers are Kandahar, Jalalabad and Swat. Peshawar, Quetta, Kabul and Kunduz are ethnically diverse cities, but with a large presence of Pashtun population. In Karachi, 3.5 million Pashtuns live.

Ethnicity is the 15.42 percent of Pakistan's population, about 25.6 million people. In Afghanistan, an estimated 42 percent of the population is Pashtun, about 13.3 million people. Among the 1.7 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan, mostly Pashtuns. A cumulative sum of the Pashtuns in the region for a total of 42 million people.

History and origins. The history of the Pashtuns remains without reliable research. From the second millennium BC, the cities of the region have been subject to invasions and migrations. Visited by Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryans, Medes, Persians, Mauryas, Scythians, Kushans, heptalitas, Greeks, Arabs, Turks, Mongols, British, Russian and, more recently, the United States of America. Several theories-both academic and popular-hit about the origin of Pashtuns

Old references. There are several ancient groups with eponyms similar to the Pashtuns, who have been referred to as the possible ancestors of modern Pashtuns. The Greek historian Herodotus mentioned the people "pactiano" on the eastern border of the Persian satrapy Arachosia, as in the first millennium BC. His connection with the Pashtuns is unclear. And similarly, the Rig Veda mentions the tribe "paktha" (in the region of Pakhat), ie, the current eastern Afghanistan. Some scholars have suggested a connection with modern Pashtuns, but this is speculation.

In the Middle Ages until the advent of the modern state of Afghanistan in 1747, and the division of the Pashtun territory by the Durand Line, in 1893, the Pashtuns were given merely as the "Afghans." This adjective first appears in history in the Hudud-al-Alam in 982 AD, was referring to a common ancestor and legendary Pashtuns, known as Afghani.

The wise Alberuni refers to Afghans as a group of tribes living in the border mountains between old India and Persia. In this geographical location, the Pashtuns had close contact with Indian tribes and Iranian, as witnessed by the famous Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta, during a visit to Kabul in the year 1333: "We traveled to Kabul, formerly a vast city, whose site is now occupied by a tribe of Persians called "Afghans."

Anthropology and linguistics. The origins of the Pashtuns are in eastern Iran. The language belongs to the Iranian sub-branch of the family of Indo-European languages. The Pashtuns are classified as Iranians, possibly as descendants of the Bactrians and Scythians. The old Iranian tribes that expanded to over the Iranian plateau were early precursors to the Pashtuns. Like other Iranian peoples, many Pashtuns have mixed with various invaders, neighboring groups and migrants. In terms of phenotype, Pashtuns are predominantly a Mediterranean group, so that the light hair and pale skin are not uncommon, especially among remote mountain tribes.

Oral traditions. Some anthropologists lend credence to mythical oral traditions of the Pashtun tribes themselves. For example, according to the Encyclopedia of Islam, the theory of descent is Israeli Pashtuns originated in Maghzan-e-Afghani who compiled a history during the reign of Mughal Emperor Jehangir, in the seventeenth century.

Another historical book, the Taaqati-Nasiri, maintains that in the seventh century a people called Bani Israel settled in Ghor, southeast of Herat, and later migrated south and east. These references marry a common vision of Pashto oral tradition, that when the twelve tribes of Israel were dispersed, the tribe of Joseph settled in the region. The Pashtun name "Yusuf Zai" translates as "the sons of Joseph."

Other Pashtun tribes claim that descended from the Arabs, and there are even some who claimed (the sayyids) that Muhammad is among their ancestors. Some groups of Peshawar and Kandahar (Afridis, and sadozais khattaks) are said to descendants of the ancient Greeks who came to the territory of Alexander the Great.

Modern Age. The Pashtuns are intimately tied to the history of modern Afghanistan and western Pakistan. Following the Arab-Turkish conquests of the VII-XI centuries, the ghazis (warriors of the faith) Pashtuns invaded and conquered much of northwestern India. His recent past runs through the Hotaki dynasty and later the Durrani Empire. The defeated Hotaki Safayid Dynasty of Persia and took control much of the Persian Empire between 1722 and 1738. This campaign was followed by the conquests of Ahmad Shah Durrani, a former senior commander under Nadir Shah of Persia. He founded the Durrani Empire, over a large part of what is now Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir, Indian Punjab and the province of Khorasan (Iran). After the fall of the Durrani Empire in 1818, the Barakzai clan took control of Afghanistan. The country was in the hands of sub-clan Mohammedzai, since 1826 until the end of the reign of Mohammed Zahir Shah, in 1973. This legacy continues today: Hamid Karzai comes from the Pashtun tribe Popalzai in Kandahar.

Afghan Pashtuns resisted the British design of its territory and held off the Russians during the so-called Great Game. Despite the rivalry of the two empires, Afghanistan remained an independent state and enjoyed some autonomy. But during the reign of Abdur Rahman Khan (1880-1901), the Pashtun regions were divided by the Durand Line, and what is now western Pakistan was ceded to British India in 1893. In the twentieth century, many Pashtun leaders politically active and living in the British province of North West Frontier supported the independence of India, and were inspired by the peace movement of Mahatma Gandhi. His region was embedded in the newly created Pakistan.

The Pashtun Afghans, however, achieved full independence from British intervention during the reign of King Amanullah Khan, after the third Anglo-Afghan war. The monarchy ended in 1973 after a coup executed by Sardar Daud Khan. This opened the door to Soviet intervention, which was culminated by the Saur Revolution in 1978. Many Pashtun opposition joined the mujahideen against the Soviet intervention. This sowed the seeds of the modern Taliban, a religious movement originating in southern Afghanistan. In late 2001, the Taliban government was overthrown by a new invasion, this time led by the United States.

Who are the Pashtuns. Among historians, anthropologists and the Pashtuns themselves is active debate about who makes up this town. Among the various definitions, highlights the ethnolinguistic, that kept Pashtuns who move within the parameters of ethnic origin in eastern Iran, have a language, shared culture and history, living in proximity and are recognized as members of that village . The tribes who speak dialects very different from the Pashtun, for example, are recognized as members of the common body.

Another definition, more narrowly refers to a component of culture. Requires Pashtuns are Muslims and respect the Pashtunwali code. This is the prevailing view among the more conservative tribal leaders, who deny the Pashtun status of the Jews, even if they themselves claim to have ancestors of that religion. Pashtun society is not homogenous, Chapter religious: most are Sunni Muslims, but Shiites nuclei in the Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan. Pakistani and Afghan Jews, who once numbered in the thousands, living today in Israel and the United States.

A third definition refers to the ancient and patrilinear component, based on an important law of Pashtunwali, in which only those who have a parent Pashtun Pashtun. This definition places less emphasis on the language of each. For example, the Pashtuns Indians have lost their language and many customs, but are still considered Pashtuns, like Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan, the ancestors of this community.

Culture. Pashtun culture settled in the course of many centuries. The pre-Islamic traditions, you probably already present during the conquest of Alexander in 330 BC, survived as traditional dances, while the literary and music styles still reflect a strong influence of the Persian tradition. Pashtun culture is a unique blend of native customs and strong influences of the West, East and South Asia.

Religion. The vast majority of Pashtuns is Sunni Islam, especially the Hanafi school. A significant proportion of the Pashtuns are Shiites, mainly in eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. There are strong links between tribal affiliation and membership of the Islamic community. Most Pashtuns believe they are descendants of Qais Abdur Rashid, an early convert from Islam who brought the faith to the Pashtun population. Some historians believe that the Pashtuns could be Zoroastrians, Hindus, Jews or shamanistic before the arrival of Islam. Some were able to practice Buddhism. However, this is all conjecture at the moment and there is no conclusive evidence.

Pashtunwali. The term "pakhto 'or' Pashto 'from which the Pashtuns derive their name not only refers to the language, but the code of honor known as pre-Islamic Pashtunwali. It is believed that it originated in a pagan time and, in many ways, eventually merged with Islamic beliefs. The Pashtunwali governs and regulates nearly every aspect of life, from the tribal affairs to individual behavior and honor.

The Pashtunwali influences the social behavior of Pashtuns. One of the best known principles is the melmastia, the duty of hospitality and asylum to all guests seeking help. The perceived injustice requires Badal, revenge. "Revenge is a dish best served cold" was taken in these lands by the British and later popularized in the West. Men are required to protect Zan, Zar and Zameen, women, money and land. Some aspects promote peaceful coexistence, as Nanawati, the humble admission of guilt for a wrong committed, which should result in automatic forgiveness by the offended party. Other aspects of Pashtunwali have come under heavy criticism, especially regarding the rights of women and honor killings. The Pashtunwali remains in force among many Pashtuns, especially in rural areas.

Literature and media Pashtuns. Throughout Pashtun history, there were poets, prophets, warriors and kings were revered. But literature did not play a role, mainly because Persian was the lingua franca of neighboring countries and dominated the typed letters. The first written records of Pashto are the sixteenth century and describes the conquest of Swat by Shaikh Mali. In the twentieth century, in Pashto literature gained prominence through the work of Amir Hamza Shinwari, who cultivated the ghazals. In 1919, Mahmud Tarzi began publishing the first newspaper in Afghanistan: Seraj-al-Akhbar.

With very low rates of literacy, many Pashtuns continue to adhere to oral traditions. Men continue to meet in the chai-tea shops-khaanas to hear oral histories, stories of bravery and courage. Although the tradition of the storyteller is male-dominated Pashtun society is also marked by certain matriarchal tendencies. The stories related to reverence for the mother are common and are passed from parents to children, like most Pashtun heritage, through a rich oral tradition that has survived over time.

Sport. Traditional sports include naiza bazi, including riders competing in spear throwing. The pole is also a traditional sport in the region and is popular with some of the tribes. Pashtuns are also involved in the fighting and Buzkashi, often part of the sports events. Cricket was a legacy of British rule over Pakistan and India, countries that now have some Pashtuns from their best players.

Artes escénicas. El pastún es un pueblo que participa en variadas formas de expresión, como la danza, la lucha con espadas y otras actividades físicas. La forma más común de expresión artística puede verse en las distintas formas de danzas. Una de las más prominentes es el atán, que tiene viejas raíces paganas. Modificada por el misticismo islámico, hoy es la danza nacional de Afganistán.

El atán se baila acompañado de varios instrumentos tradicionales, como el tambor, la tabla, el rubab o la tula (flauta de madera). Con un rápido movimiento circular, los bailarines danzan hasta que no queda nadie bailando. La mayoría de los bailes son masculinos, aunque hay algunas excepciones como el Spin Takray y el tumbal, una especie de tamborada realizada por las chicas de los pueblos cuando alguna de ellas se casa.

La música tradicional pastún tiene lazos con la música afgana tradicional, a su vez inspirada por la del Hindustán. Formas populares incluyen el ghazal (poesía cantada) y la música qawali sufí. Los tópicos giran en torno al amor y la introspección religiosa. La moderna música pastún tiene como eje la ciudad de Peshawar, debido a las guerras afganas, y tiene a combinar técnicas propias con rasgos persas y la música india de Bollywood.

Tribes. A feature of the Pashtun people is its intricate system of tribes. The Pashtuns are predominantly a tribal people, but urbanization the world has begun to alter Pashtun society: cities like Peshawar, Quetta or Kabul are growing rapidly due to the flow of rural Pashtuns and the arrival of refugees. Although urban development, many people still identify with various clans.

The tribal system has several levels of organization: the tribe (tabar) is divided into kinship groups called khels in turn divided into smaller groups (pllarina), formed in turn by several extended families kahols calls. The Pashtun tribes are classified into four major tribal groups: the sarbanes, the batianos, the ghurghushtos and karlanes.

Another prominent Pashtun institution is the Jirga or Senate, made ​​by local veterans. La mayoría de las decisions en la vida tribal son tomadas por los miembros del consejo, que es la principal autoridad que reconocen los igualitarios pastunes como cuerpo viable de Gobierno.

Women. The lives of Pashtun women vary between those living in conservative rural areas, as the tribal belt, and those living in urban centers, with greater relative freedom. Though many Pashtun women remain uneducated, others have had access to work. The Russian occupation, Afghan wars and the Taliban regime brought hard times for women, whose rights were limited by an uncompromising interpretation of Islamic law.

El código del Pastunwali a menudo acota a las mujeres en papeles tradicionales que separan sexos. La senda del cambio y las reformas ha quedado obstaculizada por las guerras afganas, y también por el aislamiento y la inestabilidad de la vida tribal en Pakistán. La prueba de las barreras sociales está en que la tasa de analfabetismo entre ellas está muy por encima de la de los varones.

Los abusos contra las mujeres, muy extendidos, cuentan con una oposición cada vez mayor por parte de varias asociaciones femeninas, muy activas, que luchan contra grupos religiosos conservadores y también contra funcionarios del Gobierno tanto en Afganistán como en Pakistán. Las mujeres pastunes ven a menudo que sus derechos quedan a expensas de sus maridos o parientes masculinos. Los hombres pastunes siguen teniendo el dominio de la vida en el Pastunistán.