Presidential candidates on Monday called on Parliament and civil society to work toward resolving the fate of the Kabul-Washington Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA). They criticized President Hamid Karzai for stalling the deal and attested to the negative effects the situation was visiting on daily Afghan lives.
"The BSA is important for Afghanistan, in terms of economics and security, because we need economic and security aid," Presidential candidate Hedayat Amin Arsala said. "The majority of people of Afghanistan want it to be signed, as you know, the Advisory Loya Jirga also decided this agreement should be signed."
President Karzai has come under heavy fire from Afghan and American leaders alike since rejecting the recommendation of the Loya Jirga to sign the BSA back in November. His preconditions that the U.S. advance Taliban peace talks and end raids on Afghan homes have been scoffed at and appear no closer to realization three months later than they did when he first made them.
The U.S has indicated it wants the agreement signed within a matter of weeks, and if it is not, a full troop withdraw in December would be likely, leaving the Afghan forces on their own after 2014.
"Delay in signing increases the possibility that we will have to begin planning for a post-2014 Afghanistan with no U.S. troop presence," U.S. Embassy in Kabul Spokesperson Robert Hilton said.
Some Afghan commentators have questioned Karzai's motives in delaying the BSA, implying that he has prioritized is own interests over those of the nation.
Presidential candidate Daoud Sultanzoi said that perpetuating the deadlock any longer would only mean the Afghan people suffer. Sultanzoi highlighted the effects the delay was having on investment in the country, the decline of which has reportedly slowed the national economy.
"Every institution in Afghanistan has responsibilities to the people of Afghanistan, including President Karzai, his National Security Advisor, Foreign Minister, Parliament of Afghanistan, judges and civil society," Sultanzoi said.
"We all have responsibilities, and the heads of these institutions are responsible for solving peoples' problems, we must not toy with the BSA," he added.
The candidates urged Karzai not to make his decision on the BSA "emotionally," but rather using rational judgement of what is best for Afghanistan.
There have been some murmurings amongst officials in the U.S. and Afghanistan that Karzai plans to sign the accord soon.
Meanwhile, in a recent letter to U.S. President Barack Obama, a number of Afghan civil society activists and politicians asked for the continuous support of U.S. post-2014. The letter said Afghanistan's achievements over the past 12 years would not have been possible without the support of the U.S. and its allies.