Wazhma Frogh: No Reward For Bullies, No Impunity For Strongmen.

A majority of analysts believe that the negotiation and granting of amnesty to insurgents is the key to creating peace in Afghanistan. But critics of this view rightly point out that the provision of justice is an essential prerequisite for peace and the rule of law. Afghanistan’s recent history has shown that the co-option of self-appointed strongmen and commanders in the government has backfired. The strongmen who were offered impunity and positions in the government failed to deliver services and their failure has directly led to increase in support for the insurgency. In addition, the impunity granted to them has allowed them to feel a sense of entitlement to power. As a consequence, they continue to pose a threat to security if faced with losing out on opportunities.

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"We can't assign a policeman to every resident in the city," said Kandahar's police chief, Sardar Mohammad Zazai. To protect Afghan officials, U.S. and Canadian military contingents in Kandahar have provided armored cars, assigned foreign security details and launched ambitious plans to fortify government buildings. One idea is to build a bulletproof "ballistics walkway" between the offices of the mayor and governor.

Zazai disputes the notion that the Taliban is getting stronger in Kandahar. "This is all a propaganda campaign. They want to show the world that the government of Afghanistan is weak," he said. "The Taliban can't fight our forces face-to-face; they can only assassinate the people."

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"Premature withdrawal from Afghanistan is a major mistake," Abdullah said. "You abandoned us once and you are still paying the price for it. We are still paying the price for it. Now the people of Afghanistan are losing hope and fear that they will be abandoned again -- this is the reality."

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