Strengthening Integrity and Rule of Law in Afghanistan’s Defense and Security Sectors
Speech at the Conference on Combating Administrative Corruption in the Defense and Security Sectors
Keypoints:
- Rule of Law & Accountability: All security forces are held legally accountable.
- Independent Judiciary: Judicial and prosecutorial decisions remain impartial.
- Anti-Corruption: Bribery and misuse of resources are actively fought.
- Institutional Strengthening: Systems and appointments are merit-based and efficient.
- Cultural Change: Integrity and professionalism are promoted.
- Leadership & Political Will: Top leadership ensures reforms and protects honest officers.
- Public Trust: Citizens see results and engage in oversight.
- Integrated Security & Justice: Coordinated reforms strengthen national stability.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Honorable brother His Excellency Ustad Danish, Mr. Muslimyar, Mr. Attorney General, honorable Minister of Defense, Mr. Stanikzai, Mr. Barekzai, Mr. Naderi, all elders, Mr. Judge Rasool, the prosecutors who played a special role, honorable Generals, representatives of all institutions, honorable members of parliament from the Attorney General’s office, honorable senators, our dear guests and international partners involved in the Rule of Law program, honorable Minister of Justice—lest I forget—sisters and brothers, peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings!
Condolences and the Tragedy of Mirza Olang
I begin my speech with condolences. Condolences for the massacre tragedy in Mirza Olang carried out by the enemies of religion and the homeland, which showed that the enemies of this nation recognize no borders—neither Afghanhood, nor Islam, nor humanity. I consider myself a partner in the pain and mourning of every single bereaved family of this incident, and I promise that our brave sons in the defense and security forces will take their revenge. The crime that occurred in Mirza Olang is a fresh example of the changing nature of the war, just as we witnessed other examples in Kabul, Herat, and before that in Ghor.
The Shift in Enemy Tactics and Military Progress
The primary reason for the change in the enemies' criminal methods is the defeat they have suffered in face-to-face combat and the loss of their hope to win on the battlefields. They have seen that our speed of action and military mobility have progressed compared to previous years in a way they could not imagine. Three years ago, during the fall of Dangam in Kunar, due to lack of coordination between our defense and security apparatuses, it took a week for us to act to retake it; but now, although the breadth of the war extends from east to west and from north to south, in every spot where the enemy raises its head, they are suppressed with force and flee the field after suffering heavy casualties. I thank the Minister of Defense, the Director General of National Security, and the officials of the Ministry of Interior from the bottom of my heart. You witnessed how the enemy fell before our forces in Taywara, Jani Khel, Kohistanat, and other parts of the country. Therefore, to compensate for their defeats, the enemy has fallen upon our defenseless people and commits atrocious crimes to take revenge on our worshippers, teachers, farmers, and other defenseless strata. Now our forces utilize both "defensive and offensive" strategies to deprive the enemies of the ability to commit crimes.
Honoring the Security Forces
Salutations to the souls of all the hero martyrs of our security and defense forces, and we pray that all the wounded recover as soon as possible. You are the pride of the homeland; I am proud of you, and this entire nation is proud of you. Our defense and security forces were able to well demonstrate their bravery, courage, and ability in protecting their country and confronting terrorists. Within the ranks of the National Police, it was our own children who, in the bloody incident during the month of Ramadan in Kabul, prevented a massive tragedy through their sacrifice—a tragedy aimed at destroying diplomatic centers in the most sensitive point of the capital. Do not forget that if those eight policemen had not given their lives for martyrdom, God forbid, hundreds of diplomats and thousands of other citizens would have perished that day; so we must praise their sacrifice. It was these same forces that displayed an enduring epic in the defense of the Iraqi embassy and made Afghanistan proud. The President of Iraq personally thanked and appreciated me for this two days ago. During my meetings with these forces in these days, I said that you see manifest death within a few steps, yet you succeed over it; you are symbols of a nation’s greatness and unbreakable will. Our special forces see death in the eyes; death flees from them, not they from death.
The Significance of the Anti-Corruption Agreement
I want to say a few points regarding the importance of this conference. First, I thank the Attorney General, the Minister of Defense, Mr. Stanikzai, and Mr. Barekzai for holding a conference that will truly be counted as an important and blessed day in the history of creating accountable institutions, the rule of law, and our strong and effective security and defense institutions. What is the importance of this day? First, the change of culture. Could you have imagined a few years ago that security and defense officials would sit with our prosecution office without any order or direction and sign an anti-corruption memorandum? I congratulate you on this cultural change! What is its importance? Its importance is that the common vision turned into coordination. Today, our important security and defense institutions and our judicial and legal rule of law institutions stand in a single vision and rank. In this regard, I especially thank Ustad Danish for his guiding role and round-the-clock efforts regarding the rule of law, our collective responsibility toward our duties, and especially the securing of our citizens' rights. Honorable Ustad! May God always keep you alive; your role was extremely important.
Political Will and Collective Commitment
Our second topic is will. In the past, it was always said that everything depends on the political will of the President. Now, does the President have political will or not? Today we are witnessing that we have collective political will, not individual will. One flower does not make a spring; one individual, regardless of how important their position is and how significant their responsibility as a servant of the nation is, cannot work alone. Today, I am extremely happy that the fight against corruption has turned into the struggle of a committed and responsible team. Therefore, regarding the first part, as the Minister of Defense requested, not only the person of the President but the Office of the Presidency has the full will to support your struggle. Second, at the level of the National Unity Government, Ustad Danish, Dr. Abdullah, and I are moving on exactly the same line, and our common goal is for the tolerance of corruption to reach zero. Third, it is hoped today that the Afghan nation witnesses that the leadership of our security and defense forces does not just talk and give slogans regarding the fight against corruption; it acts. When everyone from a Lieutenant General to a soldier comes equally under question and inquiry before the law and, based on a transparent and responsible process, receives acquittal or punishment—this is the day of celebrating the rule of law, at the head of which stand the officials of our security and national defense forces.
Judicial Independence and the Role of Law
I thank them; each of them became a pioneer in implementing the anti-corruption program, because until the Minister of Defense, the Director of National Security, the First Deputy, and other officials of the Ministry of Interior take this responsibility, I cannot do their work, nor can Ustad Danish or the Prosecutor. Another point in this section is that the culture of our prosecution and courts is fundamentally changing. I especially congratulate the Attorney General for representing an iron will regarding the rule of law in a short time. Today, the Attorney General does not think he needs to come and whisper with me to implement the rule of law. I stand 100% behind his will; because if every case turns into something that takes a political shape, it is meaningless. The role that Ustad Danish, Dr. Abdullah, and I played was to support the sovereignty [of law]. I repeat again that legal and judicial decisions are not the work of the executive branch or the President; this belongs absolutely to our legal and judicial apparatuses. In discovery, the police; in preparing the lawsuit, the Attorney General’s office; in the decision, the judiciary; and after that in implementation, the Ministry of Justice and the police. A "virtuous circle" must be created, and this virtuous circle is supported—supported in principle, not in content. Let it be clear again: anyone who interferes in the content of legal and judicial decisions or criminal investigations is, in fact, part of corruption. Politics does not mean protecting one's relatives and kin from the law; Afghanistan is not built that way. Afghanistan is built when the thief and criminal—regardless of who they are connected to, even if they are someone's son—are handed over to the rule of law, not protected. That is not protection; that is betrayal of the homeland, and betrayal has no place in our holy religion.
Justice in the Islamic Tradition
Do not forget that Hazrat Umar Farooq (RA) came to the mosque after the conquest wearing new clothes. A person stood up and said: "Step down, I have a claim against you." Hazrat Umar Farooq stepped down. The person said: "You are very tall; how can your clothes be equal to others in the manner of justice?" Hazrat Umar Farooq said to him: "At your service, I will step down, but look, my son's clothes are still old because he gave me his portion." That person then said: "The Commander of the Faithful is truly just." Do not forget that the basis of the manifest religion of Islam is laid upon justice. This Islamic justice is our goal, which for 1,400 years in Islam has been represented by the prosecution, courts, police, and justice system.
Legislative Reform and Institutional Meritocracy
Another part is that a intersection of vision, laws, structure, appointments, and accountability has turned into a virtuous circle. This means that under the supervision of Ustad Danish, a nationwide review and renewal of our laws is underway. I do not think that since the era of Amanullah Khan Ghazi, this much attention has been given to legislation, and I truly express my gratitude to the colleagues at the Ministry of Justice who work under the supervision of Ustad Danish and the Minister of Justice; however, much work remains. Our laws must be synchronized absolutely for a society connected to the constitution and the desires of constitutional laws.
The second topic is structure; our structures are fundamentally changing. I thank Mr. Stanikzai and Mr. Bahrami for fundamentally changing the structures of the Ministry of Defense. The principle of reward and punishment in the Ministry of Defense is being fundamentally implemented, and what is the result? You see the result on the battlefield; management of the war cannot take place without these reforms.
The third point is appointments, and let it be clear that the most important corruption has been in the appointments section, because a person appointed based on corruption or connections subjects an entire apparatus to corruption. Accountability, instead of being based on hierarchy and law, becomes personal. Therefore, the appointment of boards that have been established in the Ministries of Interior and Defense as well as in National Security—the High Board of Appointments—has fundamentally addressed this position, as have the appointments made by the Attorney General and the work done by Nader Nadery; these are based on principle. I want my authorities in the area of appointments to become less day by day. Why should I interview dozens of people? This was out of necessity; the answer lies in the institution, not in personal taste, and when transparent and open exams are presented, all Afghans shine within them, and this is extremely important.
Accountability and Combatting Corruption
Accountability has two directions: one is positive accountability where we make institutions more effective day by day, and one is accountability where punishment must exist. Is a person who steals fuel from a soldier and a non-commissioned officer tolerable? Why do we suffer casualties? One major reason I tell you is because of corruption; repeatedly we gave money for fortifications, but the fortifications were not executed; for this reason, we suffer casualties. Therefore, reforms are not for the sake of reforms; reforms are for the sake of preserving the lives of our heroes—heroes who give their lives for the homeland in every corner of this country.
Another point is the activity of the Justice and Judicial Center for Major Crimes. I especially express gratitude to Judge Rasooli for establishing the reputation of the Justice and Judicial Center. All our colleagues in the center are worthy of appreciation, and likewise, the Major Crimes unit has started its work; the work must gain speed and their focus should only be on major crimes. Other crimes are not the work of the Major Crimes branch, and there must be clarity that the center cannot perform its work without major crime investigations and general investigations. At the same time, the reforms implemented by the Chief Justice are truly worthy of appreciation; because now I do not think anyone remains who can point a finger of criticism at the Supreme Court of Afghanistan.
Therefore, on this basis, I return to the point that corruption is unacceptable. In the last ten days, I have visited two army corps, both in Helmand and in Herat. During these trips, I again felt the high spirit of the officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers, and I again became certain that this nation will surely succeed in the confrontation against rebellion and evil. Of course, for our final victory to be achieved in a short time and for people to live in an atmosphere of security, it is necessary that the struggle against corruption and law-breaking becomes even more serious, strong, and fast. At all times and in every place, the personnel of these defense and security forces have explicitly told me that for final success, a struggle against corruption and law-breaking is required just as it is required against rebels and killers.
The Human Cost and systemic Failures
During my trip to Herat, Fatima Qaderian—the girl who brought pride to Afghanistan with her colleagues in the robotics team—lost her father a few days later in the terrorist incident at the Jawadia Mosque (Herat). It was one of the hardest moments of my life when she told me: "I had one simple request from you, and that was the security of my family; but you failed in providing it. The big tree, of which I was only one branch, I lost suddenly." This girl speaks the truth; but unfortunately, I could not explain to her there that the dysfunctional management structure in some of our security apparatuses and the rooting of corruption within them is the cause of failure in this heavy duty. How could I explain to her how much time I have spent in these two and a half years just to prevent the theft of soldiers' bread? We decided that our soldiers' food should be 600 calories more than that of American soldiers, because they fight in harder conditions; yet when I speak face-to-face with soldiers, non-commissioned officers, and officers of different ranks, I see that sometimes even simple bread does not reach them, and facilities and equipment are not available to them at the necessary time. You ask, whose work is this theft? Theft is the work of those appointed through connections and pressure from the powerful and stakeholders, or through corruption. Why has the issue of procurement caused so much protest? Because in these two and a half years, the ground for embezzling hundreds of millions of dollars has been blocked, and the ground for embezzling thousands of millions of dollars more will also be blocked.
Results of Reform and National Discourse
We previously spoke about increasing the capacity of the defense and security forces over the last three years. A major reason for this increase in capacity is that the fight against corruption in the Ministry of Defense has increased. This struggle has taken place in the General Directorate of National Security and is ongoing in the Ministry of Interior, which, God willing, will reach a result. The direct result of tolerating corruption was that it damaged order and legality in the defense and security forces, and the enemy benefited. Ask General Helal; previously his investigated cases were not followed up, but now there is no case that is not investigated and brought to a result. Ask all the generals. It was not that our generals were in corruption; rather, the culture was broken, and now the culture is changing.
Reforms in the defense and security apparatuses are the only choice we have, and without them, neither security will be realized nor will any important development program be achieved. We have identified the factors of corruption and diagnosed the manner of implementing reforms; but reforms cannot be carried out by the apparatus alone. Security cannot be brought by our security and defense apparatuses alone, and justice cannot be ensured by our legal and judicial apparatus alone. The time has come for a national discourse regarding the fight against corruption and cooperation with our security and defense forces to be undertaken. After the coup of the 7th of Sawr, the nation and state moved backward. Today, if the entire nation does not join hands with the security and defense forces, this will not reach a result. The main point is that based on the ruling of Sharia, both the bribe-taker and the bribe-giver are responsible.
A person who gives money or a bribe is as responsible as the one who takes the bribe. Therefore, a nationwide national discourse is needed to determine exactly how our society, as a community, can reach a global consensus regarding the strengthening of the system and the constitution—the only national document around which the system is formed. This discussion is necessary in our society. And it is this discussion that yields results. Because every time Afghans have reached a consensus and agreement on a topic, it has results, and today you are witnesses to this. It is hoped that it is clear and evident that in these hundred years, the people of Afghanistan have not stood behind their security and defense forces with such strength. But our next step, honorable ones, is to involve the people. Not for the people to form militias, but how should the people fundamentally create coordination, especially with the police, in the area of cases? My request is, as Mr. Stanikzai said, this must come to a discussion.
Protecting the Integrity of Reformers
Another point mentioned by the Attorney General is extremely important, and that is to create a transparent and clear mechanism for reviewing allegations made against those fighting corruption. Today, the lesson we took from all countries is: if those who stand in the first rank of fighting corruption are not strengthened legally and with resources, they become targets. Most allegations sometimes come against the cleanest individuals. Therefore, it is necessary not only to have a review mechanism but a punishment mechanism for those who bring [false] allegations. They destroy the reputation of a clean human with two pieces of propaganda, a night-letter, and ten emails, and this must not be acceptable. Our society must find the capacity to distinguish.
Ustad Danish, I, and Dr. Abdullah stand in the first rank; if any allegation is against us, the prosecution office should follow it. You must create a reliable mechanism; but we must understand that one of the primary weapons of corruption is fighting or defaming those who stand in the first rank of the fight against corruption, and specifically the reputation of our security and defense forces must not be harmed because of a minority. These people who daily give blood in the trenches and maintain the flag of Afghanistan in the furthest points—their dignity must be preserved. And do not forget, every individual of our security and defense forces, from the soldier to the generals, is a "volunteer"; no one forced them to defend the homeland. Therefore, it is necessary that clear actions be taken for their reputation so that we can all together organize its arrangement.
Conclusion and Future Outlook
Again, in the end, these reforms of our security and defense apparatus cannot reach completion without the continuation of reforms in the judicial and legal apparatus. Honorable Attorney General! You gave very good news that past cases have all been cleared; this gives hope that the movement of our legal and judicial apparatus will be fast. Our legal and judicial, security, developmental, and administrative apparatuses are like the fingers of a hand; they have a fundamental connection. Therefore, I think today is truly a happy day because we see not only a program but also its result, and every time the result increases, the people's trust increases.
Our security and defense plans and our legal, judicial, and administrative reforms are four-year plans. Now, within this framework, classifying reforms on a quarterly basis and reporting to the nation that we are progressing is a fundamental point. I thank everyone again. From all the soldiers, from all the non-commissioned officers, from all the officers, the sergeants, the honorable generals, and the leadership of the security and defense forces, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. The promise you made to the people of Afghanistan today is unprecedented. I believe that based on your commitment and pledge, every son and grandson of ours who is in the front line will become confident that their rights will be attended to, and especially when those youth, soldiers, and officers reach martyrdom, their families will not be forgotten by anyone. Their comrades will not be forgotten by anyone. This homeland is indebted to them, and you will, God willing, pay this debt. Likewise, I thank the Attorney General, both for the initiatives he has taken and truly for the firm will he has shown that the rule of law is practical in Afghanistan.
In the past, they always said that Afghanistan is an exception. Allow corruption; it is an exceptional country. Now it is being proven to you that the people want light, transparency, accountability, and effectiveness. Do not forget, we are in a country where 15 percent of our people go to sleep hungry every night and 40 percent live below the poverty line. For this reason, fighting corruption is not some fashion; it is a necessity of our society, because every Afghani [unit of currency] that is saved from corruption is necessary for poverty alleviation, health, investment in our future generations, and most importantly, for the dignity of Afghanistan. This situation is not acceptable to Afghan society—that Afghanistan should always be at the lowest level. Just as our cricket team in the shortest period moved from the lowest ranks to the highest level, it is hoped that with the actions you have taken, Afghanistan will regain its international and national reputation.