User:Sayed Jalal



BIOGRAPHY

Sayed Jalal was born in the transformative year of 1969 to a modest Pashtun family in Kabul. Jalal began his elementary education at the prestigious French Istiqlal School when he was six years old, then graduated the 12th grade a mere two years later. Instantly he was recognized as a prodigy and his name became known to all Afghans as well as to many outside of Afghanistan. By 1978, Sayed Jalal's story had already come to resemble a Hollywood film: at nine years old, he found himself in New York City being courted by some of America's most prestigious institutions of higher learning, including Columbia University. Upon his arrival to the U.S., his remarkable story was covered by the New York Times, the Daily News, and other prominent media.

While Jalal was preparing for life as a college student in the U.S., he became one of the first victims of the closed-minded policies of Afghanistan's new Soviet-backed Communist government. Upon direct orders from President Hafizullah Amin, he was forced to return to Kabul. He and his father were then sent to Moscow University where Jalal studied Russian, mathematics and physics in a special program. As the youngest student ever to attend, Jalal was something of a celebrity at the university, but also a rebel: he tuned out his teachers whenever they would try to educate him in Communist dogma.

The two were forced to stay in Russia for two years, fearing that if they violated the orders of the Afghan Communist regime, their relatives would be harmed. But by 1980, the remaining family had managed to flee to Pakistan, which gave Jalal and his father an opening to return. Though it was not easy to leave Russia, they were finally able to get back to Afghanistan and then shortly after, went to meet their family in Pakistan. After living there for six months, they immigrated to Saudi Arabia. Upon arrival in Saudi Arabia, Said Jalal entered the prestigious King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals where he studied engineering, physics and Arabic. Less than three years later, at age 14, Afghanistan's only known prodigy dropped out of school to support his family.

Even though family and finances prohibited Jalal from fully pursuing his academic dreams, he still managed to become an extremely successful entrepreneur and a devoted human rights activist. In the business arena he has established, developed, and sold more than a dozen successful companies, including several based in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. His business partners have included multi-national corporations and members of the royal families from different countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council. In the midst of all this, Jalal still found time to study business, international and Islamic law.

Outside of his career as a successful businessman, Sayed Jalal has used his prominence and international contacts to advance peace and prosperity in Afghanistan. In the early 1990s, he made significant efforts to negotiate a political solution to the civil war by mediating between Pakistan and Afghanistan as well as between various opposing factions in the conflict. In 1997, he negotiated the successful release of 10 Iranian hostages from the Taliban. In 1998, he successfully negotiated a one-month ceasefire and the exchange of over 1,200 prisoners between the Northern Alliance and the Taliban.

Jalal has also devoted significant efforts to advancing democracy, human rights, tolerance and moderation. His most recognized contribution in this area has been the establishment of one of the most successful and respected radio stations, Voice of Afghanistan, which advances the interests of independent, moderate Afghans from outside the country. He has also provided advice to various European countries and international organizations (including the United Nations), on various issues relating to Afghanistan.

In his efforts to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan, Sayed Jalal has established excellent relations with all of the countries in the region, including Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Turkey. In each case, the relationship is marked by respect and confidence. Not least among his notable friends and allies was Benazir Bhutto, the Pakistani prime minister and activist who was tragically assassinated in 2007.

Jalal believes that some of the main problems facing Afghanistan, including the menace of terrorism, are regional problems that cannot be addressed by Afghanistan alone. He believes in enhancing bi-lateral and multi-lateral cooperation with Afghanistan's neighbors based on trust and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of one another.

Throughout his life, Sayed Jalal has retained both his independent voice and his status as an iconic figure who has steered clear of traditional divisive Afghan politics. He has been an outspoken supporter of inclusive policies that bring all Afghans together. He believes in a government that represents the people of Afghanistan, not one that is a coalition of political factions formed along ethnic, sectarian and regional lines. Because of his views, he has gained the respect of the independent-minded and educated everywhere, as well as common people, Afghans whether in or outside of Afghanistan, and politicians and dignitaries from around the world. Sayed Jalal is married with 3 daughters and 1 son.

A NEW STRATEGY ON REBUILDING AFGHANISTAN

By: Sayed Jalal

More than seven years have passed since the Interim Administration of Hamid Karzai, backed by the international community first took over Afghanistan. Initially, Afghans of all backgrounds believed that three decades of conflict, tyranny and suffering had ended and a new era of peace, democracy, equality and prosperity had begun. The Afghan people accepted the new government and welcomed the international security forces. The people showed their support for this new era of hope with the adoption of a modern Constitution and with strong turnouts in the Presidential and Parliamentary elections. Afghans that had lived outside their country for decades returned to take part in the reconstruction. They brought their life savings to invest in Afghanistan and to improve its economy.

Simultaneously, having realized Afghanistan's importance, the international community showed its commitment to making it stable and prosperous by pledging billions of dollars in assistance at the Tokyo Conference, and billions more at subsequent donor conferences held in Berlin, London and Paris. Countries from all corners of the world sent their troops to defeat terrorism and help bring lasting peace and security to the people of Afghanistan.

President Karzai was introduced as a hero of the moment and was met with unprecedented media coverage and warm greetings from world leaders wherever he went. The people of Afghanistan, in hopes of a better future, stood behind Karzai and elected him first as the President of the Transitional Government and again in the country's first Presidential elections with the expectation that he would lead the country to a better future.

Seven years later, despite infinite resources and strong backing from the people of Afghanistan and the international community, Karzai has left the country in a condition far worse than it was in when he took over. He has lost the confidence of the people. He has darkened what was once a bright future for democracy and destroyed the image of Afghanistan in the eyes of the international community. Worst of all, he has divided Afghans along ethnic, sectarian and regional lines; he has sown mistrust, misunderstanding and uncertainty among different Afghan groups, and also between the Afghans and the international forces that are there to secure the country.

Under Karzai, Afghanistan has significantly deviated from the path chosen by the people and the international community. He has created a dangerous environment filled with violence, corruption, and uncertainty. Despite this difficult state of affairs, all is not lost. The right leader, equipped with sound policy, pragmatic strategy, as well as the support of the people and the international community, can still steer Afghanistan in the right direction.

THE EXPECTATION OF THE PEOPLE OF AFGHANISTAN The people of Afghanistan, regardless of their ethnic, religious and linguistic backgrounds, share the same hope and vision for the future of their country and their children. They want:

1. Peace and security 2. Better living and economic conditions 3. Rule of law, good governance, justice and social equality 4. A democratic government that represents the people of Afghanistan and protects the values and beliefs of the people of Afghanistan 5. Friendly relations with the rest of the world, especially Afghanistan's neighbors; relations based on territorial integrity and mutual respect for each other's sovereignty

These expectations are absolutely reasonable and consistent with the desires of freedom-loving people everywhere. They are the things the people of Afghanistan expected from Karzai. Karzai failed to deliver.