“The past is more like the future as water is like water.” Ibn Khaldun
Author: Hafiz Mansour, member of the leadership of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, especially for "Sangar"
When there is criticism and protests against the National Resistance Front, some of the friends who have just joined become worried and shocked to see such a situation. To explain the problem, one can look at the long years of jihad and resistance. And now that we are on the verge of celebrating the Week of the Martyrs and the 22nd anniversary of the martyrdom of Ahmad Shah Massoud, may God bless him and grant him peace, let's see what enemies he faced and what methods he used against them.
1 - During the years of jihad, members of the People's Democratic Party, the Soviet troops, and during the period of resistance, the Taliban were among the clear enemies of Ahmad Shah Massoud, each of which had a certain line and a certain slogan. Both sides spoke to each other in the language of bullets. But those who joined the ranks of the Mujahideen were given amnesty and forgiveness, they were not killed if they were ready to serve, they were equipped in the ranks of the Mujahideen in a suitable place, and those who did not want to stay returned to their families.
The fight against this enemy was costly but did not require much understanding and vigilance, because when faced with enemies, a lot of planning and tact are required, which can be divided into several categories.
2 - Colonel Mohammad Isakhan, the uncle of Ahmad Shah Massoud, never showed favor to his nephew, collaborated closely with the regime, and in the winter of 1358 (1980) appeared to Ahmad Shah Massoud as the head of Babrak Karmal's delegation and demanded to join the government. Ahmad Shah Massoud never said anything about this hostility of his uncle. The root of this enmity was neither religious nor political. I believe that it was human envy that made the uncle not see the brilliance of his nephew.
3 - The SAZA group (Sozmoni Zakhmatkashoni Afghoniston - the Revolutionary Organization of the Workers of Afghanistan (ROWA)) dealt the first blow personally to Ahmad Shah Massoud. One of the members of this group attacked Masoud from behind in the summer of 1358 (1980) and fled. Ahmad Shah Massoud did not consider it necessary to deal with this issue in order to avoid intra-ethnic strife at the beginning of work in Panjshir, but a year later, the remnants of SAZA decided to take broader action. At this time, Ahmad Shah Massoud revealed their plan, imprisoned the heads of their groups, and only a few of them were put on trial, while the rest were released after expressing remorse.
The hostility from this group continued for up to a year before the fall of Dr. Najibullah's regime. They had ethnic groups in the provinces of Badakhshan, Takhar, Kunduz, and Baghlan, who were in favor of Dr. Najibullah, as described in the book of Zahurullo Zakhuri.
It was difficult to deal with SAZA, they spoke Tajik slogans and defended the rights of Persian speakers, but in practice, they were in the service of the occupation and the regime of Dr. Najibullah. The leaders of this mysterious group were devoid of patriotic and popular spirit. Massoud's rapport with the members of the Khalq party and the Parcham wing was not so difficult, they either accepted or rejected him. But SAZA humiliated itself and killed thousands of young people in the name of defense against so-called "ethnic fascism".
4 - Ahmad Shah Massoud started his organizational work with young people ready to fight. These young people quickly showed themselves and competence became famous among the people, and became the owners of the name and status of mojaheds, which actually violated social boundaries. Among the inhabitants of Panjshir, the commanders of jihad took the place of khans, maliks, arbabs and hajjis. Local influential people, who had name, fame, and age, underestimated Ahmad Shah Massoud and spoke obscene and uncomfortable words about him. It was the only thing they could do.
Ahmad Shah Massoud for many years was the "child of Dustak" for them, since his father's name was Dust Muhammad Khan. These influencers were not against jihad. Their dissatisfaction was rooted in the fact that their place among the people was taken by the Mujahideen of Ahmad Shah Massoud. And Massoud also ignored all their ugly and obscene words and whenever he had the opportunity, he went to meet them and consulted with them. The passage of time sent some of them to the afterlife, while the rest were forced to accept a new reality.
5 - People with names and influence appeared in the ranks of the Mujahideen, who claimed leadership of the Panjshir. Commander Abubakr and Haji Mohammad Siddiqkhan were among the Mujahideen with reputation. They decided to take a military step and remove Ahmad Shah Massoud and take charge of the affairs themselves. Massoud revealed their plan and relieved them of their duties without causing them any harm.
6 - Among the jihadist organizations, Hizb-e-Islami, under the leadership of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, has placed Ahmad Shah Massoud at the head of its enemies since its inception. The enmity of this party manifested itself in different provinces from the very beginning of jihad and with rocket attacks on the city of Kabul (1371-1375 - 1992-1995) reached its climax. Hekmatyar's enmity and enmity towards Masud continue to this day, and whenever he has the opportunity, he empties his resentment.
7 - There were a handful of people, both in the years of jihad and in the years of resistance, who did not swell the ranks of the enemy, but their tongue was poisonous and their efforts were small, and their only art was to sting and destroy minds. Ahmad Shah Massoud also dealt with this group and kept them to himself in order to reduce their harm on the one hand, and to keep them under control on the other.
The eighth category of Massoud's enemies includes those who held high leadership and military positions during the era of the Jamiat-e-Islami party. Most of these people came from the north of Kabul and constantly disrupted the work of sending weapons and ammunition to Massoud, trying to make his programs less valuable from a political and propaganda point of view.
Ahmad Shah Massoud treated these people with full respect and avoided all revenge and complaints until the regime of Dr. Najibullah was overthrown by him and all the heads of the Jamiati Islami gathered around Ahmad Shah and recognized his superiority.
The meaning of mentioning these categories is, do not critics and protesters of the National Resistance Front fall into them? And shouldn't we expect other kinds of enmity? Struggle creates an enemy, without an enemy there is no fight. The important thing is that you should not put everyone in the same row and should respond to each of them in your own way.
