Foreign ministries of countries often have the finest Foreign Service officerstrained to represent, promote and protect the interest of a country abroad. Afghanistan and call it international border. Mr. Tamana smuggled his wife into MoFA despite failing in both examination and interview.

The MEC report highlighted all the irregularities and President Ghani, according to some reliable source in MEC had made comments on the report as well. Sources in Arg shared that President Ghani instructed officials to initiate reform as recommended by MEC. Ms. NaheedEssar was subsequently appointed as deputy minister of administration which acting minister Rabbani refused to allow in the ministry for four months.  President Ghani’s second order for investigation into the ministry of foreign affairsin late 2019 forced a compromise and Mr. Rabbani allowed Ms. Essar to occupy her position though she was smartly circled by members of Jamiat to not allow her carry out reform.Ms.Essar wasto the First Lady and not competent for the position.  Instead of carrying the reform agenda of the president Ms. Essar tried to play a balancing act to survive.  She was alsomade ineffective because the system was run by Abdullah-Rabbani loyalists.  President Ghanithen appointed Mr. HaroonChakhansurias acting minister of foreign affairs replacing Mr. EdrisZaman.

MrChakhansuri is a well-known manipulative, god-fathered by Mr. Rahimi the current minister of peace and Mr. Nadiri the current head of civil service institute. His appointment to MoFA was a political game crafted by Nadiri-Rahimi duet to spread to key state institutions in their quest to fight the presidential election in 2024.  Inexperience took the better of Mr. Chakhansuri and declaredhis intent to carry out reform before he arrived or studied the ministry. Many politically savvy ridiculed Chakhansuri’s appointment as acting minister and deputy minister because he lacks experience and his name is mired in the Geochamcompany’s corruption case where he is accused of receiving a million US dollars in bribe.

There was a small dispute between a group of newly arrived diplomat and the ambassador in the Afghan Embassy in Rome when Mr. Chakhansure assumedcharge ofMoFA. The crisis atembassy in Rome was manipulated by Mr. Kohistani the defense attaché at the embassy, brother to Mr. Andisha. The president removed Mr. Andisha on allegations of corruption, but instead of sending him to court, he was appointed as Afghan Ambassador to Swiss. MrAmrullahSaleh played a critical role in this appointment. Mr. Andisha blamed the MEC for his exit from MoFA. Mr.Andisha tried through Mr. Lorenzo Dolleague and Mr. BarraySalaaam both commissioners at MEC, to shelf the report. HelemaMalikyar the then AfghanAmbassador to Rome was former commissioner at MEC.Andisha’s elaborate network in the Foreign Service realm staged numerous campaigns to make it impossible for Ms. Malikyar to continue her job as the ambassador.

Mr.Chakhansurion day two of occupying his position issued an order calling many diplomats to return to Kabul. He also made English proficiency as pillar of reform, which was not short of stupidity of monumental magnitude. The MEC’ report had recommendations that were long term and not controversial.  His words about reform were opposed because jamiat loyalists considered his arrival as pre-emptive strike by Rahimi-Nadiri duo to set the throne ready for one of them after the reform. The anti-reform group most of who were senior officials including a deputy minister and seven heads of units reached out to Hamid Karzia and Dr.Abdullah to mobilize support.  Subsequently Dr. Abdullah issued a decree to restrain any reform in MoFA.  Mr. Chakhansuri’s failure to convince and secure the cooperation of staff to reform enlarged the problem, bringing in Mr. Saleh the vice presidential candidate into the fray. MrSaleh, Dr. Abdullah and Mr. Karzia were on the side of the rebel.  Mr. Saleh used his leverage with president Ghani to put the reform on backburner.

Mr. Chakhansuri nativity and arrogance bred hostility among his new staffers according to a senior diplomat. Ghani is universally known for appointing incompetent and immature young men and women to lead senior positions. Quiteoften young people occupying senior positions fail to live up to their ToRs. The new acting minister tried his best to coax staff at MoFAto agree to reform but he could not convince them. The situation forced president Ghani to intervene and subsequently invited those opposing reform at MoFA to his office. Ghani asked the officers of MoFA to prepare their reform package. One serious induction of president Ghani’s intervention was Mr. Chakhansuri’sfailure to manage the reform.  A senior source in MoFA said that Mr. Chakhansuri felt disgraced by president’s intervention and sandwiched between his boss’s pressure to carry out reform and strong resistance from politically backed group of official of MoFA.

Mr. Kohistani and Mr. Andisha’s behind the scene played a major role and Ms. AsilaWardak’s vocal opposition to Ms. Helena Malikyar appointment in Rome were amplified by tens other in their network.  The acting minister of MoFA concluded according to sources in the ministry, that Afghan Ambassador to Rome, Ms. Helena Malikyar was the trigger of this situation and her removal will solve the problem. Mr. Chakhansuri having worked with Ghani for years exactly knows what turns Ghani into uncontrolled reactionary and informed his boss that “Ms. Malikyar says that no one can remove her”. Ms. Malikyar’s service as ambassador was terminated and called back instantly.Ms. Malikyar is highly qualified individual with extensive knowledge of the country, experience of working with all the big names in the country.

The crisis in the ministry is deeper than Ghani thinks. The ministry is in control of Jamiat. Ghani’s own circle of four advisers is competing to place people in the ministry. Some of these advisers see themselves as perfect ministers for foreign affairs. President Ghani’s reform agenda may be informed by research papers, but he has absolutely not one honest person around him to carry out his plans for the ministry or the country.

View expressed in this article are of the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Pajhwok’s editorial policy.

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