POREG VIEW: Given the circumstances in which the second parliamentary election in Afghanistan was held there were no expectations of huge turnout. There were fears of large scale violence though. By sunset on Saturday, however, these fears proved unfounded.

The Taliban failed to derail the voting process. It is reason enough not only to heave a sigh of relief but also consider the election as a largely successful exercise. This doesn’t mean the polling was free of fraud. But these allegations don’t take away the significance or diminish the importance of the election in a country which has remained the fiefdom of warlords and tribal chieftains for years.

The latest ballot is only a small step to rid the country of its extremism and to usher in democracy. In that sense, there can be no dispute with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who has described the election as “an important milestone on [Afghanistan’s] road to becoming a full and rightful member of the community of democratic nations”.

The U.S.-led troops have just begun a new push into Kandahar and other parts of the Afghan South, which are Taliban’s strong-holds. The operation is bound to be slow –moving, but the dividends will strengthen President Obama’s resolve to pull out of Afghanistan by 2011 end, if not early.

To reap the geo-political fruits of its sacrifices, Washington must learn to deal with Kabul with respect, resist the temptation to humiliate it through uncharitable leaks, and make Islamabad to stop playing its one-upmanship games. 

Respect to human rights is equally necessary as the Washington Post has exposed the savage plans to randomly target and kill Afghan civilians.