The party was founded in 2010 by Atmar and
Abbas Noyan as a reformist opposition to the government of President Karzai. The former interior minister and former people's representative came together to create a multi-ethnic political party, advocating against rampant corruption that had resulted in increased insecurity and economic underdevelopment. The party was officially launched in late 2011 after 14 months of preparation leading up to the official announcement at a two-day conference of 420 delegates. The party announced itself to be "reformist" and "opposition;" though there was no manifesto or policy direction issued at its launch. According to
Radio Free Europe, the party seeks to challenge the
Change and Hope party led by
Abdullah Abdullah in opposition to the government of President
Hamid Karzai and its rampant corruption. One of its spokesmen,
Hamidullah Farooqi, stated that the party seeks to "fulfill people’s hopes and needs in the political, economic, and social spheres of life. Those values that have unfortunately been neglected by the current government. We hope our political formation will be a healthy opposition in the political arena." The party's official launch a week before the commencement of the traditional
Loya Jirga called by Karzai and just before the
Bonn Conference in December was read as a show of force of their presence and that they have say in the Afghanistan's future. The party was dissolved in 2021 after the
Fall of Kabul.
Reactions An Afghan political analyst, Nasrullah Stanekzai, suggested the party would struggle to gain legitimacy as "people in Afghanistan have had very bad experiences with political parties in the past. Between 1978 [when leftists gained power] until the period of the
mujahedin , not only have political parties not worked for the people, but they have actively worked against them bringing them war and destruction." He added that the political culture in Afghanistan would need more time to develop following years of political turmoil. Another local political commentator, Yunus Fakor, said that the emergence of new blocs in Afghan politics, including the Truth and Justice party and the
National Front of Afghanistan, was a "positive trend" ahead of the
2014 presidential election. However, another political activist and former chief of staff of the Foreign Ministry, Wahid Monawar, said that there was no clear direction of the party as "communicating one's platform is a vital part of any political party or campaign in order to succeed. While critique of [the] Karzai administration is a departing point, it's fundamentally important to communicate one's platform. I was hoping to read some ideas on how to influence policies that are different than Karzai's." The party was also criticised for its lack of an agenda or debate against the incumbent government. == Issues ==