Afghanistan’s Independence: Unity, Youth, and the Path to a Prosperous Future

Speech at the 98th Independence Day celebrations in Herat

Keypoints: 

• National Pride: Honoring Afghanistan’s independence, heroes, and history.
• Unity: Promoting solidarity across regions, ethnicities, and generations.
• Youth Leadership: Encouraging young Afghans to build the nation.
• Learning from History: Using past successes and failures to guide today.
• Security: Recognizing the army and forces in protecting sovereignty.
• Peace & Reconstruction: Advancing reconciliation, development, and cooperation.
• Civic Responsibility: Emphasizing duty toward national progress.
• Future Vision: Planning for prosperity of coming generations.

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

Greetings to Herat! Greetings to the birthplace of the free and the upright, Greetings to the city of passionate and hope-inspiring youth, Greetings to the city of men and women who are the standard-bearers of science, literature, and culture. Greetings to the city of Khwaja Abdullah Ansari, Imam Fakhr Razi, and Maulana Abdul Rahman Jami, and greetings to Afghanistan, to the land of courageous and patient people, to the birthplace of free and warrior lion-men and lion-women.

The Million Signatures: A Covenant with the Future

First of all, I express my deep gratitude and that of the entire nation for the million signatures on the flag of Afghanistan and thank each and every one of you. What is the meaning of these one million signatures? The meaning of these one million signatures is a renewal of the covenant with our ancestors, our national hero Amanullah Khan, a renewal of the covenant with the future of Afghanistan and the sacred Jihad of the people. For that, I thank Mr. Qatali and all the youth who took this initiative and made this honor Afghanistan-wide, from the bottom of my heart.

Thank you to each of you who traveled from the remote parts of this ancient province to the city of Herat and this assembly today. Thank you to the Zafar Corps and all the Commando and Strike units who are on the front lines of the struggle. Thank you to the Police Zone, Public Order, Border Police, and Special Unit. Thank you to the National Directorate of Security, the Rapid Reaction Unit, and thank you to the athletes, scholars, provincial council, elites, and the National Assembly.

Greetings to the heroes of the path of Afghanistan's freedom, prosperity, and independence, Greetings to the soul of Ghazi Amanullah Khan, to the one who, along with his companions, raised the flag of the country's independence, set the nation on the path of progress and development, lit the torches of education, and laid the foundation for Afghanistan's friendly relations with various countries of the world.

Unity and the Message to Enemies

On behalf of the National Unity Government, especially Dr. Abdullah, all members of the cabinet, and all compatriots! Greetings to all the Mujahideen, fighters, and strivers who stood against autocracy for the honor and pride of their nation, went to prisons, stepped into the battlefields, and sacrificed their lives to keep the noble name of Afghanistan alive and enduring.

Today, these one million signatures have a clear message for the enemies: the nation of Afghanistan is united and one, and will surrender to no one. The defense and security forces are ready for soldiering for this homeland in any situation. On behalf of all security and defense forces, I congratulate the Minister of Defense, who was awarded the rank of Lieutenant General today, and I congratulate General Nasir, who was awarded the rank of Major General. They did not receive these ranks because of their positions, but because of their leadership. I especially thank the soldiers, non-commissioned officers, and officers who said: give the General his rank. It was because of you that he was promoted today. I am certain that as the commander of the Corps, he performed fundamental efforts in your service. Likewise, we offer prayers for the soul of the martyr Ghori and all the martyrs.

Reflecting on the Unfinished Chapter

Esteemed compatriots, dear sisters and brothers! We once again celebrate a day that is a great turning point in our contemporary history. The day when the true children of Afghanistan were able to eternally engrave the independence and freedom of this nation on the pages of history. The anniversary of the restoration of the country's independence has various meanings for us. On one hand, it is the day of reviving our national pride and greatness, recounting the freedom and high-mindedness of our ancestors who wanted Afghanistan to pass with pride through the turbulent waves of history.

They had seen that many nations and tribes fell before the storm of events and vanished like a footprint on the shore of history. They had seen that resistance against great empires demands a cost as heavy as the pains and sufferings of many years of a nation, and requires a will as grand as the towering peaks of the Hindu Kush and Pamir. They did not fear the difficulty of this path and did not overlook the glory and majesty of their people. They followed the perilous path of freedom and independence until its end, and finally, the one who was himself the hero of this great cause sacrificed his throne and crown for this great ideal. It was he who taught the youth of this land belief in themselves and their will. It was he who returned the right to education and schooling to the women of this country. It was he who wanted our villages to be connected with cities, and our cities to be equal and parallel with the modern world.

Dear youth, respected compatriots, our Independence Day, while on one hand a day to honor the winners of independence, is on the other hand a best opportunity to review contemporary history and take lessons from our successes and failures. The 28th of Asad is an opportunity to answer this important question: why did this golden chapter of our history remain unfinished?

Why did this great historical chapter of ours remain incomplete? Why did our journey toward stability, progress, and prosperity not continue in an organized manner, and why have we not yet reached the goals our grandfathers had nearly a hundred years ago at the time of winning independence? Why are we still dependent on others? And why are our people still forced to live in poverty and deprivation? We need to read our history again and again and take lessons from our past.

The Decision for Five Generations

Brothers and sisters! Youth and future-makers of the homeland! Today we stand at a decisive point. Now is the very moment we must understand its importance. Now is the time to complete that unfinished chapter. A hundred years from today, we should not grieve that we lost today; a hundred years from today, we should celebrate that we succeeded today. Now is the time to find the missing links. Today is the day we must manifest our national unity. Today is the day we must fulfill our decisive will and historical responsibility toward the next five generations of Afghanistan.

Brothers and sisters! In the next four years, if we gird our loins and fast [meaning to sacrifice/endure] and remain committed to the fundamental principles of the holy religion of Islam and national interests, the next five generations of Afghanistan will live in prosperity. Do you want the prosperity of five generations or the development and prosperity of a limited thousand people?

Today is the day of decision to sacrifice for the entirety of the nation and represent them. None of the wishes and ideals will be realized unless the day comes when all of us, from every ethnicity and with every language, see ourselves in the mirror of a single national identity. The day when from east to west and from north to south of the country we take pride in one flag, stand in respect for one anthem, and strive and fight in the name of one country. Just as the National Army is the representative of our national unity.

Afghanistan does not belong to any specific individual or group; Afghanistan is the home of every citizen of this country, and we, the citizens of this free and proud republic, together and side by side, can finish this unfinished chapter with full honor and pride.

The Call to Action and Peace

Now is exactly that moment, that historical and decisive moment. We will wait no longer; because we have no time for waiting. The ideals of our ancestors and their lofty souls are looking at us impatiently—at you, at me, at each man and woman of this land, at every single resident of this territory, at anyone who is tired of relying on others, at anyone who suffers from the displacement of their people, at anyone who loathes the shedding of the blood of the children of this nation, at anyone who is unhappy with the destruction of our mosques, shrines, and schools, at anyone who is saddened by the killing of our doctors and engineers, at anyone who thinks of and fights for a united, integrated, capable, self-sufficient, proud, and honorable Afghanistan.

We join hands from this moment, we overcome divisive slogans, we conquer gaps and distances, we are aware of our unique role in this historical juncture, and we do not succumb to temptations contrary to our national interests. We believe in nothing but Afghanistan and its lasting greatness and will set foot on no other path. This is not the commitment of one individual, group, or class, but beyond all these, it is the true commitment and firm covenant of several generations who have stood together at this historical moment: the generation before the war, the generation involved in the war, and the generation after the war; we have all united over one covenant, the covenant to fight to complete the unfinished chapter of the contemporary history of Afghanistan.

Those who still beat the drum of war and dance to the tune of foreigners, those who still with a dagger in hand tear the chest of the motherland, those who still impose more sacrifices on pain-stricken Afghanistan—they stand on the wrong side of history and for that reason, they will fall to their knees before the will of a steadfast nation and will have no destiny but humiliating defeat. They have not learned from history to see that the ideals of men like Ghazi Amanullah still create passion, excitement, effort, and will in the souls of millions of citizens of this land and unite this nation. If they had insight, they would know that now more than any other time, it is the time for reconciliation and the time to turn to peace and security and the time to take a part in the progress and elevation of the country, not the time for the continuation of destruction and ruin. History will bear good witness to who put all their effort into building this land and who put all their power into destroying it.

Nevertheless, we press any hand extended for cooperation, and we welcome any call in which our national interests reside; we welcome with an open brow any plan for the construction and growth of Afghanistan, regardless of where it comes from. In conclusion, I thank the noble youth and all classes of ancient Herat who, with such a valuable initiative, beautifully manifested our national unity and cohesion. I suggest that following this valuable experience, similar actions be undertaken in other provinces of the country in the next two years so that the centenary celebration of Afghanistan's independence becomes another turning point in our contemporary history and brings universal movement and joy to our people.