Afghanistan delegates use their fists

Afghanistan's Loya Jirga, or grand assembly, erupted in uproar yesterday, with scuffles breaking out among delegates following speeches denouncing Pakistan and supporters of the former king, Mohammad Zahir Shah.

The assembly's chairman, Ismael Qasimyar, pleaded for calm. "Please speak calmly and avoid provocative issues. Try to speak only of the problems of the country," he said.

But the delegates, more than 1,500 of them, representing Afghanistan's myriad factions and ethnic groups, are lining up to air all their gripes, grievances and ideas about their nation's future. The gathering is evolving into more of a national conversation than a decision-making body.

With the selection of Hamid Karzai as president of an 18-month transitional government, the Loya Jirga was supposed to be turning its attention to rounding out the rest of the new administration, including a 111-seat legislature and a cabinet acceptable to all sides.

The makeup of the cabinet will also show whether Mr Karzai's mandate as president has given him additional power to shape a government not dominated by certain factions, especially the Panjshiri group that has held the key ministries of defence, foreign affairs and interior for the past six months.

But two days after Mr Karzai's victory, neither subject had come up. Instead, delegates spoke on other topics. Their message rang resoundingly clear: listen to us. "If people want peace, they will have to accept all the decisions of the delegates here. If people want war, then they won't accept any of our decisions," said Halima Khazan, a delegate from eastern Gardez.

The present Interior Minister, Yunus Qanooni, who offered to resign earlier last week, scolded delegates yesterday for straying in their speeches and insulting each other, saying it was time to act. "This is a golden opportunity for us to try to fix the problems of the people," he urged.

But it was clear that a balanced government was on delegates' minds, and they refused to be silenced. "The government should create conditions so everyone trusts each other," Said Hadi Hadi, a delegate from Ghazni, said.

The Loya Jirga was supposed to meet from Monday until today. But it began a day late, and shows little sign of finishing on time. Based on Afghan tradition, it is part of a UN-brokered plan to move Afghanistan gradually towards democracy.

In a brief address yesterday, Mr Karzai called on the delegates to get the remaining business out of the way in the next few days, and then stay on. "At the end of the Loya Jirga, you should not go home," he said. "Just stay here and have meetings and talk with me – three or four provinces at a time. I have things to say to you, and I am sure you have things to say to me." He made no mention of the cabinet – a prime concern of many delegates.

Some delegates have complained the loya jirga process is being unduly influenced by warlords, who have created an atmosphere of intimidation. But Zalmay Khalilzad, the US special envoy to Afghanistan, has defended America's decision to work with the warlords. "The reality," he said, "is that much of the power at the present time is in the hands of local leaders, because the centre is weak."