I was invited to Afghanistan to take part in the Martyr Day ceremonies on September 9, which coincided with the death anniversary of Ahmed Shah Masood, better known as the Lion of Panjsheer. I interacted with a spectrum of politicians, some erstwhile militia commanders, military brass at the highest levels, common folk, journalists and a cross-section of defence attaches and military officers of the US and Nato.

Discounting the large number of armed policemen, Kabul appears fairly peaceful with people flocking to Baag-e-Babar in the afternoons. There an unease, however, which is palpable when you speak to anyone. The sense of foreboding is more pronounced outside of Kabul. There is overarching insecurity and fear of Nato or coalition forces pulling out of Afghanistan some day, leaving the country at the mercy of the Taliban.

The ethnic divide among the major groups seems more pronounced than ever before. Afghanistan’s population comprises roughly 48 per cent Pashtuns, about 27 per cent Tajiks, 16 per cent Uzbeks, a still smaller percentage of Hazaras, with a sprinkling of others. The Taliban are almost 100 per cent Pashtuns, chiefly drawn from the southern provinces and from areas bordering Pakistan. Following the rout of the Taliban by the coalition forces in October 2001, it was the Northern Alliance, composed mostly of Tajiks and some Uzbeks and Hazaras, which marched into Kabul and reoccupied it.

Initially the new government was heavily in favour of Tajiks and other non-Pashtuns, which led to resentment among the latter. After elections in 2005, President Hamid Karzai reconstituted the government with representation of all groups. Besides historical reasons, the scars of the civil war followed by a sense of neglect, have perpetuated ethnic antipathies.

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