Dr. Ashraf Ghani

Address nation on Eid al-Fitr 2016

Keypoints:

Faith and Devotion: Celebrating Ramadan with prayer, discipline, and compassion.
National Unity: Strengthening trust, solidarity, and shared responsibility.
Security: Supporting forces to protect citizens and stability.
Governance: Promoting accountability, reform, and effective institutions.
Economic Growth: Advancing development and regional connectivity.
Peace and Dialogue: Encouraging reconciliation and ending violence.
Social Support: Assisting martyrs’ families, orphans, and the vulnerable.
Resilience and Hope: Inspiring courage, perseverance, and national pride.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

On the occasion of the arrival of Eid al-Fitr, I congratulate all Muslims of the world, and especially the faithful nation of Afghanistan. It is my hope that the obedience and worship of all those who fasted have been accepted in the Divine Court. During my recent trip for Umrah, at the Station of Abraham (Maqam-e-Ibrahim), and as the guest of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques along with the scholars of Saudi Arabia, I prayed for the stability of Afghanistan. We beseeched the Great Lord for the failure of those who confront Muslim countries with insecurity.

National Resilience and Security Forces

Brothers and Sisters! I know that we still face many problems, and our people still suffer from war and unrest in various parts of this homeland. Events occur that are sometimes very painful, the latest of which was the attack on our police forces. While offering prayers for the souls of those dear ones, wishing for the recovery of the wounded, and expressing condolences to their grieving families, I want to repeat once more that our nation—with strong faith in God—has proven throughout history that it never drops to its knees in the face of hardship. According to the divine tradition which states, "Indeed, with hardship comes ease," if we have faced threats on one hand, we see new opportunities opening before our people on the other. Our defense and security forces are stronger than ever, and our army is transforming into one of the most efficient in the region. For the first time in our history, such a national consensus has formed to support the country's security and defense forces. Furthermore, international support for both our forces and our development sectors is increasing, and it has become clear that we are a responsible and reliable partner for the international community. I have this good news for my people: in recent consultations with our international partners, comprehensive preparations for the Warsaw Conference have been made. Financial commitments and international support for strengthening our forces have been secured, the finalization and announcement of which you will hear in the coming days.

Economic Growth and Regional Connectivity

Despite the fact that the enemies of our people stand against the country's economic growth and prosperity—using all their power to destroy the infrastructure of this land—in practice, various development projects have been inaugurated across the country, and new projects are being founded. The opening of Chabahar Port, progress on the Aqina railway, and the China-Tajikistan-Uzbekistan railway (which is the gateway to Central Asia) are each steps taken so that our country can reclaim its position as the crossroads of regional connectivity and no longer remain in geographical blockade. Despite problems and threats, our nation has managed to take significant steps, and with God’s grace, we will take many more. If there are those in our region who still view issues through the lens of the Cold War and imagine they can hinder our nation's progress, they will see how hollow and baseless their fantasies are.

Foreign Policy and the Desperation of Enemies

In foreign policy, we have revived and secured the best relations with the countries of the region and the world. The world's alignment with Afghanistan’s demands regarding the fight against terrorism and the criminal Taliban is an example of the cooperation of our international partners. One of the motives driving the enemy and their supporters to resort to their latest bloody and atrocious tactics is that they have reached a state of desperation and helplessness in other arenas. The significant victories of our security forces on the battlefields on one hand, and the existing international consensus in favor of Afghanistan on the other, have severely disturbed the dreams of our enemies and driven them to insane actions. You see that even in their Eid messages, they have nothing to say except repeating violence and speaking of more bloodshed. By this choice, they have clearly placed themselves in the service of foreign interests and risen in enmity against our people. They and their like-minded associates have extended the scope of their crimes to the gates of the Prophet’s Mosque (Masjid al-Nabawi) and show no hesitation in making the holiest sites of Muslims insecure or setting fire to the Prophetic Sanctuary.

The Call for Peace and Reconciliation

Unlike them, we have always been ready for peace talks. We wanted those Afghans who have escaped the control of foreigners and turned toward a peaceful life to have an opportunity for reconsideration and to join the peace process. For this reason, once again, following the tradition of the Great Prophet of Islam, I want to seize these blessed days to announce that the door of peace of the government and nation of Afghanistan is open. Peace is a national obligation, and we are not in favor of bloodshed. It is necessary that, in addition to the government, other influential national forces—such as scholars, tribal elders, civil society, and women—strive to realize this demand through an intra-Afghan effort. However, I must also add that rejecting the call for peace will have heavy consequences for the warmongers and evildoers.

Political Unity and Counter-Intelligence

Dear Compatriots! In these circumstances, the only hope left for them is to stoke internal doubts among us, so they can damage the external consensus in favor of Afghanistan through internal mistrust. The hollow rumor of a "Fifth Column" is part of this propaganda. At a time when the enemies of our homeland want to take away our hope and motivation and weaken the spirit of our people through psychological warfare, it is necessary for us to be aware of this conspiracy and act responsibly. The political class is also expected to help build trust between the government and the nation, strengthen belief in the system—which is one of our country's basic needs—and not allow the enemies' desires for distrust in the core of the system to be fulfilled. There is no doubt that the enemy has repeatedly tried to have its infiltrated agents, but I emphasize clearly that our security and defense apparatuses are now far better than in the past. Our National Security has become an operational apparatus that both carries out intelligence operations against the enemy and pursues its counter-espionage missions with seriousness and professionalism. I have categorically ordered them to monitor every suspicious movement, both inside and outside the government apparatus, and to act with precision and courage in discovering and neutralizing the enemy's conspiracies.

Military Successes and Accountability

Valued Compatriots! You know that the enemy and its supporters imagined the first season of this year as a season of war and conquest for themselves. However, despite all the preparations they had made, they faced heavy defeats in various regions, especially in Kunduz and Helmand, and this has increased their insanity. According to our intelligence information, they wanted to turn the last days of the holy month of Ramadan into a "Doomsday" for the people of Afghanistan; but the swift action, unique coordination, and unmatched bravery of your defense and security forces turned their efforts to dust. Now, compared to the same time last year, the conditions of our country are very different, and everything is in favor of our country. Dear Brothers and Sisters! Be assured that there is a decisive will to deal severely with the enemy's agents. As I have said before and acted upon, the enemies of our people and those who assist these terrorists in facilitating their activities will not be safe from the sharp edge of justice and legal punishment. Those who committed professional negligence in the recent incident of the attack on our dear police forces have been dealt with according to the country's laws, dismissed from their duties, and are under judicial prosecution. From now on, anyone else who shows negligence in the critical duty of security will be prosecuted, and any suspicious behavior within government agencies will be dealt with decisively, without any consideration, according to the law.

Islamic Ethics and Global Challenges

Sisters and Brothers! You spent a full month in a great divine test; you fasted, offered prayers, attended the completion of the Holy Quran, struggled against the Nafs-e-Ammara (carnal soul), took action toward the purity and refinement of your heart and soul, and helped other servants of God to the best of your ability. And here you are, at the end of the month of mercy and forgiveness, celebrating Eid, congratulating one another, visiting each other's homes, making merry, and according to Islamic custom, if anyone is upset with another, you reconcile. In this way, you save yourselves from the destructive diseases of discord, envy, grudge, and enmity. It is this Islamic ethics and conduct that has kept Muslim societies in peace and security for centuries, giving believers the opportunity to worship their God with a calm mind and a carefree heart, serve their homelands, and earn a halal livelihood. But unfortunately, this year and in the past few years, we celebrate our Islamic Eids while the fires of war and evil are burning in many Islamic countries; youth, the elderly, women, and children are being killed, families are destroyed, and millions of Muslims are far from their villages and cities—in deserts, in seas, and at the borders of foreign countries—spending their days and nights in helplessness, poverty, and despair at the hands of the supporters of war, murder, and evil. Murderous, bloodthirsty, and satanic groups in the Islamic world want neither governments, nor armies and police; they neither tolerate science and schools, nor can they bear to see roads, factories, and progress for the people. Their duty is to ensure Muslims are displaced and destroyed. In Afghanistan, too, the work and purpose of the followers of ignorance and evil is to prevent the system from standing on its feet, to prevent the people from rising, and to ensure the people of Afghanistan always remain dependent on others. But fortunately, the resolve and courage of our faithful and honorable people, and especially the bravery and sacrifice of our security and defense forces, never allow the enemies of Afghanistan and Afghans to fulfill their satanic desires.

Financial Reforms and Social Welfare

Respectable Compatriots! Just as our high-spirited security and defense forces fight for the defense of the homeland and compatriots, efforts are underway in all departments for the reform and improvement of the system. In the course of reforms, during the current solar hijri year, we managed to save two billion (2,000 million) Afghanis from being wasted in the Procurement Commission and have saved them. This money is sitting in the bank, and on this auspicious day of Eid, I announce that these saved funds will be spent on assisting the families of the martyrs of our security and defense forces and building boarding schools for orphans. Likewise, these funds will be used to arrange housing for the defense and security forces and their families in turns. I call upon national businessmen, the wealthy, and all benevolent people to help the families of the martyrs of Afghanistan’s forces. The proper education and care of orphans is the national, Islamic, and human duty of us all.

Closing Vision and National Unity

I want to give this message to my nation: trust in God (SWT), believe in the hard work of your officials, remain encouraged by the abilities of your brave sons in the security and defense sectors, take pride in their sacrifices and victories, give strength to the resolve and will of your youth, cling to the unity and harmony that is the most important secret of our nation's victory, and be certain that victory belongs to our nation. Do not forget that the dawn of success awaits a nation that has emerged with honor and resilience from the furnace of events, decided with awareness and wisdom, and steps toward the future with a raised head. In conclusion, once again, I congratulate my dear compatriots inside and outside the country on the days of the auspicious Eid. I express my sympathy with the families of the martyrs and the survivors of recent incidents in every part of the country, and I wish for lasting peace for our suffering homeland.

Search