HAMBASTAGI – Solidarity Party of Afghanistan

Hambastagi is today the only secular, democratic, inter-ethnic and independent party existing in Afghanistan. It has 30,000 members from different ethnic groups present in the country, of which 10,000 are women. The party is also represented by provincial committees in 22 out of 34 provinces, each with three leaders, one woman and two men. Hambastagi has offices in major cities, but in some places its members, unable to have an office, meet in homes.

The party does not receive public funds, but is self-financed through members and supporters. The countries from which he receives political support are Italy, Germany with Die Linke and Sweden with the Left Party.

There is also a “Hambastagi Committee” based in Germany, founded by Afghan people residing in the country.

How and when the organization was born

The party, of secular and democratic inspiration, was founded in 2003 in view of the presidential elections (2004).

However, its founders come from far away and precisely from the fight against the Soviet invasion, fought largely within a coalition formed by the religious area of ​​the moderate Islamists and the secular area of ​​the mujahideen, both united against the common enemy . The secular area was made up of both men and several women who recognized themselves in democratic and left-wing ideals (“people’s mujahideen”: secular partisans of the resistance who had nothing to do with the jihadis, Islamic fundamentalists who fought in the name of Allah).

Party work

Hambastagi members fight against all forms of Islamic fundamentalism, against foreign occupation and for a secular democracy that guarantees rights for all, especially women. They fight for an independent, democratic and indivisible Afghanistan in which they can live without any ethnic, racial, religious, linguistic discrimination, belonging to clans or specific areas and where they can live in unity and security.

They believe extremely deeply in democracy, they are secular, they absolutely do not want Islamic dictates to influence political discourse, they fight for the conquest of women’s rights and promote human rights. All this work is done by organizing meetings with the population in cities and villages, literacy courses and events

The party is trying to build strong international solidarity and participated in a Conference in Lahore with Pakistani left-wing parties. He is also currently in contact with the parties of the Indian left.

One of its main objectives is to create a single democratic force, capable of intercepting and integrating the different expressions of dissent, an alternative party with a strong social base and capable of impacting Afghan politics.

CISDA and HAMBASTAGI

The main support that CISDA offers to the party is political

• • In February 2011 he organized meetings of Hambastagi activists with Italian parties, local authorities and associations.
• • In October 2011, a meeting was held at the Chamber of Deputies with the president of the PD parliamentarians in the foreign commission, Hon. Tempestini, and with the Hon. Delia Murer, organizer of the meeting.
• • In June 2012 he issued a statement denouncing Hambastagi’s suspension from parliament.
• • In 2013 he issued a further statement denouncing attacks by Afghan security forces during a party rally in Kabul.
• • In May 2014 in the province of Badakhshan a huge landslide killed at least 350 people with over 2 thousand missing. In this desperate situation, Hambastagi immediately took action, bringing medical teams to the site who were able to reach this area, one of the most remote in the country, in the north-east, between the Hindu Kush and the Pamir mountains which has not seen no one’s help. CISDA financially supported this population support operation.