Karzai and Ghani; Hysteria and Stubbornness of Two National Technocrats

M. Ashraf Ghani is trying to stay in power for another five years by sabotaging the peace process; while Karzai was seeking to turn into a national figure.

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Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai avoided signing a security pact between Afghanistan and America during his last days of the presidency. Now, M. Ashraf Ghani is going the same way of Hamid Karzai in talks with the Taliban, persisting the same as Karzai with the United States.
It is not hidden to anyone that president Ghani came to power with the support of the US in the 2014 presidential elections.

There are a lot of similarities between president Ghani and Hamid Karzai. Hamid Karzai was a stubborn critic of US policy in Afghanistan before peace talks with Taliban aired, and had repeatedly criticized US programs in Afghanistan.
As peace talks and Zalmay Khalilzad’s mission for Afghanistan begun, Mr Karzai abruptly changed his stance and announced his support from the Americans’ intention in bringing peace, putting an end to the war in Afghanistan.
Karzai is currently one of the close faces to the US in the peace process.

President Ghani is exactly pushing to repeat Karzai’s stubbornness with the Americans by destroying the peace process. M. Ashraf Ghani is trying to stay in power for another five years by sabotaging the peace process; Although Karzai was seeking to turn into a national figure.
President Ghani – who is currently a presidential candidate – afraid of the political parties’ close relations with the Americans and Taliban group. For this, he insists on government-centered talks with Taliban.
Mr Ghani is pushing to take the peace process and elections hostage, getting legitimization of his tenure from the country’s supreme court till holding the presidential elections.

Karzai had taken the security pact with the US as hostage too, until national unity government was formed, and former national security adviser M. Hanif Atmar signed the security pact as well.
Hamid Karzai is trying to challenge president Ghani in the peace process as the power struggle unfolds. Karzai is currently a rival of president Ghani in the peace process.

Many political figures, who talk about the formation of the interim administration, are encouraged by Mr Karzai.
Karzai was one of those who voted for Ashraf Ghani in the 2014 presidential elections. In a conversation with BBC, Mr Karzai officially confirmed that he voted for Ashraf Ghani, not Dr. Abdullah.
Now it could be seen that being in the presidential palace somehow leads the rulers to a certain pessimism and hysterical strength.

A solution should be found to treat this ‘hysteria’, otherwise, the national peace process will be sieged within the presidential palace and its close circle by Ghani’s stubbornness and the continuation of the war will be a legacy for the future generation.