Former President Ashraf Ghani warned that Afghanistan is facing a critical choice between “life and destruction,” saying the country has entered a decisive period marked by political isolation, economic hardship and a deepening crisis of legitimacy.
In an Eid al-Adha message, Ghani said he had been unable to address the public for nearly six months, describing the period as one in which his voice had been silenced. He said the concerns he raised in his previous address remain unresolved and have become even more urgent.
“Nearly six months ago, I said that our nation stood at a crossroads between life and destruction,” Ghani said. “During this period, I was not allowed to speak to you, and my voice was silenced. But not for a single moment was my heart separated from the people of Afghanistan.”
The former president argued that Afghanistan is increasingly isolated nearly five years after the Taliban returned to power, saying many countries now view the country through a security lens rather than as a normal member of the international community.
“The world waited for years to see what would emerge in Afghanistan,” he said. “That wait, mixed with disappointment, is coming to an end.”
Ghani warned that Afghanistan is facing what he described as a crisis of legitimacy, saying no government can secure lasting legitimacy through force, coercion or declarations.
“Legitimacy cannot be achieved through power or claims,” he said. “Legitimacy is granted by the people through their free will.”
He said that the absence of political legitimacy has contributed to Afghanistan’s growing international isolation and has weakened the country’s position abroad.
Ghani also highlighted worsening economic conditions, saying millions of Afghans are struggling with poverty, unemployment and food insecurity. He said many families are unable to meet basic needs and are being further burdened by recurring droughts, floods and other climate-related disasters.
“Countless families today are asking which child they should feed first with a single piece of bread,” he said.
The former president criticized the management of public resources and said state revenues and national assets should serve the Afghan people rather than narrow interests.
“The treasury belongs to the nation,” he said, adding that public resources should be used to support ordinary Afghans, including widows, orphans and vulnerable families.
A significant portion of his message focused on women, girls and young people. Ghani said girls’ education and the future of Afghanistan’s youth are not secondary political issues but central questions that will determine the country’s survival and development.
“No nation can walk on one leg,” he said. “An educated girl can transform five generations.”
Addressing Afghan women directly, he acknowledged widespread fears about access to education, employment and participation in public life, saying their concerns are inseparable from the country’s future.
He also warned that Afghanistan’s younger generation faces growing uncertainty and urged leaders to view education and opportunity as investments in national stability rather than political questions.
Beyond Afghanistan’s borders, Ghani pointed to growing instability across the region, including the ongoing conflict involving Iran and tensions elsewhere in the Middle East. He said wars, displacement and insecurity were affecting millions of people, including Afghan migrants living abroad.
In remarks directed at Pakistan, Ghani urged Islamabad to see a stable Afghanistan as a strategic necessity rather than a security burden. He argued that the futures of Afghanistan and Pakistan remain closely connected despite decades of political tensions.
At the center of his message was a call for a broad national dialogue among Afghans inside and outside the country.
Ghani urged citizens to use the Eid holiday as an opportunity to discuss Afghanistan’s future, asking Afghans to reflect on what the country has gained and lost in recent years and what path it should take going forward.
“The time for discussing choices is ending,” he said. “The time for making a choice has arrived.”
He said national interests must take precedence over factional, personal or group interests and warned against allowing the country’s future to be shaped by narrow political networks.
Despite his criticism of the current situation, Ghani rejected any return to armed conflict and said no political objective, grievance or disagreement could justify renewed violence among Afghans.
“No goal and no dissatisfaction can justify reopening the door to Afghans killing Afghans,” he said. “That door must remain closed.”
He called for peaceful solutions and national consensus, arguing that Afghanistan’s problems can only be resolved through dialogue and cooperation rather than force.
In the closing section of his message, Ghani said he was not seeking power or political office for himself but was prepared to contribute to efforts aimed at building consensus and helping Afghanistan move toward stability.
“I seek nothing for myself,” he said. “But if I can play a role in helping Afghanistan move toward life instead of destruction, prosperity instead of poverty, and peace instead of conflict, I will not withhold that effort.”
Ghani, who fled Afghanistan as the Taliban entered Kabul in August 2021, has largely remained out of public view in recent months.
