Bamiyan
It was the year
of power transfer. The Bamiyan Assembly held an election every four years in
which the general public elected its representatives. The assembly had two
limbs – the residential corporation and the commercial corporation. The
residential corporation was elected by the people based on the geographical
locations. Each location had a member who took care of the interests of the
residents. The commercial corporation was elected by the trade guilds based on
various registered professions. The trade guilds were elected by the
professionals. The main work of the commercial corporation was regulation of
the professions. Elected members of the residential corporation were simply
called corporators, who were headed by a mayor, while those of the commercial
corporation were called ministers. The ministers were headed by the chancellor.
The mayor and the chancellor were integrated by the Convener of the assembly.
The mayor, chancellor and the convener made the board of the governors, who
also took care of the home office, the treasury, and the external affairs
respectively. A shadow government was, likewise, made to represent the minority
voice in the assembly. The shadow assembly had half the vote of the actual
assembly. Every resolution was passed on a three fourth majority. As a result a
second choice poll was usually conducted.
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In the Grand
Hall which was the office of the Convener of Bamiyan Assembly, Wazir Ali Khan
signed on the sheet of parchment with his traditional fountain pen. As he ended
his signatures with a dot, he broke the nib.
As was the
tradition, the last sermon; as the law was called in Bamiyan, would be issued
by the Convener in the Grand hall in presence of the mayor, the shadow mayor,
the chancellor and the shadow chancellor. Over a period of time, the Conveners
had made another unwritten rule of breaking the nib on the last sign.
“Indeed, this era
would be written in golden words in the history of Bamiyan.” Muzammil Hussain
said holding Wazir’s hands, kissing them, and touching them on his eyes.
“Definitely
sir! You make us proud.” The other voices added. There was an overwhelming
atmosphere in the hall.
Wazir Ali
smiled gently, took a seal out of his drawer and put it under his signatures.
The seal bore the emblem of Afghanistan
and under it was written:
W. A. Khan
Convener, Bamiyan Assembly
The sermon
pronounced the dissolution of the Assembly and passage of all the powers to the
chair of the highest power - ceremonial chair of the god kept under the golden
dome in the central hall of the assembly. The chair would, thereafter, bestow
the powers to the peoples’ representatives after elections. He passed the
parchment over to his clerk. The clerk would later broadcast it and digitalize
it for its use for all practical purposes. As for the parchment – it would be
laminated and kept in the Assembly Achieves like all other sermons.
Wazir Khan
folded his spectacles into his case. His Durban
Wazir took the
stairway at his right that led to the central hall and stood before the chair
of the highest power. He closed his eyes and said:
“Allah! Let
there be prosperity and peace!”
All the people
repeated the phrase. The only difference was that everyone prayed to his own
god. The Chair of the hisghest Power was the place where the god sat – the one
god, called by innumerable names. He protected the city and the world through
ages. In this age of decline – Bamiyan was verily a heaven.
Wazir Khan left
the building through the northern stairway that led straight to the Republic
Street. People had gathered at the Assembly
Square to see Wazir Khan leave the office. He was,
perhaps, the most popular face in Afghanistan, and one of the world’s most
important persons. Just as Khan came out
of the high door, there was a massive applause from the people at the square.
Khan waved at them shortly and then descended the stairs onto the official
wagon waiting to drop him home for the last time. He sat on his wagon and took
a sigh. His work wasn’t over as yet, though.
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