A number of Afghan journalists have criticized the Afghan government over the ongoing stalemate facing the Kabul-Washington Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) and the controversial release of inmates from Bagram prison are harming people's outlook on the upcoming elections.
The upcoming elections are considered a critical pivot point for Afghanistan, coming the year of the NATO coalition withdraw and marking the first democratic transition of Presidential power in Afghan history.
But, as of late, the elections, despite being less than three months away, have been overshadowed by debate surrounding the BSA and the releases of former militants from Bagram prison. The two events have strained ties with the U.S. and threatened optimism ahead of the critical vote in April.
"The government is deliberately delaying the signing of BSA and not endorsing the Jirga decision to prevent the people from thinking about the elections and to decrease public awareness about the elections," NAI Chairman Sediqullah Tawhidi said.
"Bringing up other issues at this critical time could cause further challenges to the national process," Afghan journalist Bari Salam added.
TOLOnews correspondent Azim Arash discussed the matter with Kabul residents and a majority of respondents have showed greater interest in the BSA than they did the upcoming elections.
"The signing of the security agreement and other national issues should be the top government priority," Kabul resident Shoaib said.
"The signing of the bilateral security agreement has attracted the focus of most people," another resident named Shabnam Sediqi said.
The BSA would ensure a continued presence of foreign troops post-2014, and lock-in financial aid for the Afghan military as well.
Many have argued the issues are all linked together, and that if Kabul-Washington ties suffer on one matter, the rest could face obstacles as well. As of now, the BSA seems to face the tightest timetable, with U.S. officials demanding the agreement be signed within a matter of weeks.
Whether or not Karzai moves forward with the BSA as the U.S. desires could prove an indicator of the releases, and elections, will be dealt with in time.