Afghanistan Watch: "Father of the Nation" passes

July 24, 2007

"Father of the Nation" passes

"When I saw the mountains of my country, my people, my friends - what is better than this? I wish just to be able to do things for my country and serve it."

-Former Afghan king Mohammad Zahir Shah (1914-2007), upon his arrival in post-Taliban Afghanistan.

The nation enters three days of mourning for King Zahir Shah, the last of the Pashtun Barakzai dynasty, who passed away yesterday at 92. I've posted clips from a couple obituaries below...

Art: King Zahir Shah of Afghanistan by Tapand (artist)

From the Washington Post: His four-decade rule began in 1933, when he succeeded his slain father as leader of an isolated and desperately poor country. King Zahir enjoyed one of the longest periods on a world throne, but more-powerful uncles and cousins exerted military and political authority in his country. Nevertheless, King Zahir used his stature as royalty to win development aid from both the United States and the Soviet Union-- a remarkable achievement during the Cold War struggle for influence at the strategic Asian crossroads.

He was unsuccessful in other attempts at modernization. A new constitution over which he presided in 1964 tried to bring new political parties and greater freedoms to women and the press. Yet he was unable to see through the changes, partly because of his reluctance to cede control in such a fractious nation.

In 1973, King Zahir was overthrown by his brother-in-law, who was also his former prime minister and a top general. The coup was a backlash against the king's new constitution, which had made it illegal for the king's family to hold Cabinet-level jobs. The government's terrible response to a three-year drought that killed an estimated 80,000 people made the moment ripe for the king's opponents…

In 2002, before the loya jirga, a tribal assembly, King Zahir made clear his intention not to restore the monarchy. He was largely inconsequential to debate about the country's future as an Islamic republic, but his presence was said to have reassured many members of the parliament. A revised constitution outlawed the monarchy in 2004.

From the New York Times/IHT: Zahir Shah never did become a dynamic ruler, always seeming more like a gentleman farmer, at home on his property with a new breed of milk cows or fresh plantings of strawberries. But he did assert himself in the 1960s, introducing a constitutional monarchy and advocating greater political tolerance. Included in his reforms were new rights for women in voting, education and the work force.

These reforms were not always popular in a deeply traditional Islamic society. But the Zahir Shah years were characterized by a lengthy span of rare peace. This tranquillity is recalled now with immense nostalgia. On the other hand, peace was not accompanied by prosperity, and the king was faulted for failing to develop the economy

And from James S Robbins of the National Review Online: How many people now captive in Middle Eastern dictatorships would rather be living under the enlightened rule of someone like King Abdullah II of Jordan, or Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the emir of Dubai? Or King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain, or Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, emir of Qatar? These countries enjoy relative peace and sometimes dazzling prosperity, Dubai in particular. Their societies are comparatively tolerant, and Western-oriented. Of course not all monarchies are so praiseworthy, but when stacked up against post-Pahlavi Iran or Syria under the Assads, we really have to reconsider the traditional definition of political development. Zahir Shah may not have been the most dynamic king, but a gentle, kindly monarch and his mildly corrupt relatives are better guardians of liberty than nationalistic dictators or stern-eyed mullahs, each with interchangeable secret police and mechanisms of oppression.

Zahir Shah returned to Afghanistan in 2002 after the defeat of the Taliban, amid speculation that he desired a resurrection of the monarchy. “I do not care about the title of king” he said. “The people call me Baba [grandfather], and I prefer this title.” He was bestowed the honorific “Father of the Nation,” and was officially referred to as “His Majesty.” Zahir Shah spent the rest of his life using his influence and public stature to help make democracy work in Afghanistan, as he had tried to do 40 years ago. He was revered by the Afghan people as a man of peace, dignity, and wisdom. He did not seek power but only the welfare of his people. Though he refused to take back the crown, he remained a king until his final day.