08/15/2026
A Dark Day in Afghanistan’s History
August 15 is not just another date on the calendar. It is a day that left a deep wound in the hearts and minds of millions of Afghans—a wound that has not healed.
For years, I have reflected on Afghanistan’s history, and one question has never left my mind: Why has our country so often fallen into the hands of people who traded away the future of an entire generation? Why did guns become more valuable than education? Why did ethnic division, favoritism, and loyalty to powerful individuals replace merit, justice, and equal opportunity? Why has everyone blamed others for our tragedies while so few have accepted responsibility?
I will never forget August 15, 2021. When I walked out of the Pakistani Embassy that day, all I could see was fear. People were running with hope and panic at the same time. Families had no idea what tomorrow would bring. It felt as though the future of our country was collapsing before our eyes.
The moment I saw the Taliban, one thought came to my mind: this was a group that stood against education, freedom, human dignity, and the future of our people. Tears filled my eyes, and I prayed that somehow God would protect Afghanistan, because I feared the damage they would cause to an entire generation could take decades to repair.
Today, five years later, it is painfully clear that those fears were not unfounded. Millions of girls have been denied their right to education. Young people have lost hope in their future. Thousands of families have been forced to flee their homes. A country that could have been built through knowledge, unity, and hard work has instead been pushed even further away from progress.
Thousands of innocent people—men and women who once served and protected their communities—have been imprisoned. I do not often speak about my own experience, or the long months I spent in Taliban prisons, where I endured harsh treatment and abuse. Perhaps my only “crime” was dreaming of a better Afghanistan. Perhaps, like many other innocent people, I was imprisoned simply because I am Hazara.
Now that five years have passed since that dark day, we all know the scale of the tragedy our country has endured and the kind of regime that has ruled over millions of Afghans.
I am not writing these words out of hatred. I write them because I love my country and I care deeply about its future. I still believe that one day Afghanistan will know peace again. I believe there will come a day when education, humanity, justice, and merit matter more than weapons, prejudice, and division.
We cannot change history, but we can learn from it. We owe it to future generations to make sure they do not pay the price for the mistakes of the past.
Today is the time to stand together, learn from our history, and work toward the dreams of millions of Afghans. Together, we can help build a new chapter for our country—one where darkness is replaced by hope, where justice and equality prevail, and where every Afghan can live in peace, security, and dignity.
With respect,
Abdullah Tawakoli
President, Afghan Network for Cooperation and Empowerment in Canada (ACCEN)
