The struggle for independence and rule of law started in Afghanistan at the beginning of the 20th century, during the reign of Habibullah. In 1905, a group of intellectuals and educated members of the Habibia School formed an association to promote their ideas through the publication of a newspaper. After seeking and receiving approval from the King, the newspaper ‘Serajul Akhbar’ (Enlightened Newspaper) was launched.
Mawlawi Abduraouf Khaki became the head of the association and chief editor of the paper. Mawlawi Sarwar Wasif served as secretary and later became the leader of a movement that was committed to creating a constitutional monarchy in Afghanistan. In the first edition of ‘Serajul Akhbar’, published on 11 January 1906, the writers attempted to draw the king’s attention to the democratic development taking place in Turkey and Europe.
Copies of the first edition were soon distributed among intellectuals in the neighboring countries of India, Central Asia and Iran. However, in reaction to the newspaper’s opposition to British control of India, the British Government quickly put pressure on King Habibhulla to stop the publication. As a result, only one edition of Serajul Akhbar was published. In spite of this setback, the association’s activities continued through secret meetings and discussions with the king’s son, Amanullah.
When reviewing the political history of Afghanistan, we can study the activities of constitutionalists’ movement in two phases.
The ‘first constitutionalists’ were political activists who established a movement devoted to development and liberalism and the independence of their country from British influence. The constitutionalists were approximately 300 intellectual and progressive members of King Habibullah’s court whose shared principles included a deep belief in the holy religion of Islam, social justice, national integrity, popularization of education, freedom of the press and the establishment of parliament through free and general elections. The constitutionalists also were interested in the development of the infrastructure of their country, in particular, the building of power plants and roads.
It was not long before the movement was suppressed and in 1909, Mawlawi M. Sarwar Wasif, the movement’s leader, was executed by the order of King Habibullah. At the time of his execution, Wasif, reportedly read the following verse to his followers:
“Leaving your property and sacrificing your life is the first step of your reform movement”.
In 1911, Mahmood Tarzi published the paper again under the name “Serajul Akhbar Afghaniya”. This time, the paper would continue for some years. The writers and members of the movement continued to follow the path of reform. Compared to the ‘first constitutionalists’, this group enjoyed more power and better facilities since some members of the Royal Family, including Prince Amanullah and the supreme members of palace, were supporters.
The objectives of the ‘first constitutionalists’ and ‘second constitutionalists’ were very similar. They both sought to promote the rule of law and to establish a constitutional monarchy.
After King Habibullah’s murder, the monarchy was handed down to his son Amanullah. Amanullah’s rule generated a lot of optimism among the intellectuals because Amanullah himself was a progressive who wanted to change his backward country.
In his remarkable first executive act, Amanullah declared Afghanistan’s independence. When Britain and other countries recognized the independence, Amanullah started his reform program that included the abolition of slavery, inauguration of boys’ and girls’ schools and the creation of a cabinet accountable to the people. He also sent students abroad for higher education and developed and enacted the first constitution and other laws.
Unfortunately, in 1929, Amanullah was forced to leave the country. After his departure, all the political and social advancements that had been achieved during his reign were lost. Hundreds of intellectuals and political activists were either executed or expelled and for the next 30 years Afghanistan remained isolated from the outside world and from the changes happening around it.
