Even if Zahir Shah returns to his homeland, from Italy, the only option for him would be to return to the system of constitutional monarchy.
L'Olgiata is an exclusive suburban village of Rome. Here posh villas have doormen who screen cars driving in. But the security isn't obtrusive; it isn't comparable to the ring of expressionless secret servicemen that surrounds politicians. Till a fortnight back, Romans knew of L'Olgiata as the village they had to pass through, after negotiating snarling traffic jams, on their Sunday trips to Bracciano lake. None could have indeed imagined that in one of the villas, behind lush trees and overlooking manicured lawns, lived an old man who could hold the key to international efforts for bringing a semblance of order to Afghanistan, a country racked by ruin and devastation and Islamic fundamentalism.
Welcome to L'Olgiata, welcome to the village which is home to the deposed King of Afghanistan, Mohammed Zahir Shah. The terrorist attacks of September 11 in the US has prodded L'Olgiata out of its slumber. It is no longer the village you passed through; here the representatives of the European Union and the United Nations come calling. It is the port of call for Italian government officials, for Afghan refugees and representatives of the Islamic Conference, for all those who feel and hope that Zahir Shah could defy all of his 86 years to emerge as a consensus alternative to the excesses of the Taliban.
But Zahir Shah is a reticent man. His responses are measured and cautious. To all those newshounds who ply him with queries about the role the monarchy could play in the Afghan crisis, his answer is ambiguous. "We are at the beginning of an important event and we need to prepare for it. Next month, we are convening the Loya Jirga, or an assembly of tribal chiefs. It is possible that from this institution a new Afghanistan could emerge."
Nor has the 28 years of exile made him forget the defining attributes of his countrymen, their instinctive dislike for foreign interference. No wonder he insists on telling all those who come calling on him that "the Afghan population should freely decide their own future". Sure, he argues, the UN and the Islamic Conference have a role but he, simultaneously, says allusively that it is the presence of 'foreign' (read Pakistani) forces which has fuelled the civil war in Afghanistan.
The idea of Loya Jirga, though, hasn't been invoked suddenly. In fact, way back in January, months before the terrorist attacks were mounted in the US, a section of the Italian press had expressed astonishment at the decision of Zahir Shah to drive down to the ministry of foreign affairs to meet then Italian foreign minister Lamberto Dini and secretary of state Ugo Intini. It was at this meeting that Shah had mooted the idea of Loya Jirga, which now seems to have become a catchword among all those who are opposed to the Taliban.
For Shah to drive out of L'Olgiata was indeed surprising. Known to be an incorrigible reclusive who ventures out of his villa only for a stroll, his trips to the city have been only to consult his doctors. Those who have visited the erstwhile king say his villa is simple and sober and overlooks a small garden. In the sitting room is the only vestige of his days on the throne—a large portrait of Zahir Shah in his uniform and full regalia. Shah wears western dress but speaks Pashto, which his faithful secretary Razul translates for visitors.
Italy has been the soil of exile for Zahir Shah now for nearly three decades. In 1973, in the 40th year of his reign, Zahir Shah was holidaying on the south Italian island of Ischia when his cousin, Mohammed Daoud, organised a coup against his government.The king had no choice but to make Italy his home. But Shah was no stranger to Italy. Before World War II, the elite of Afghanistan, wary of British domination and machinations, had tried to forge an independent relationship with Italy, choosing this country to spend their vacations. No wonder Shah found himself in Italy in the year his cousin betrayed him.
This special relationship between Italy and Afghanistan has continued even to this day. Rome has been in the forefront of organising humanitarian assistance in war-ravaged Afghanistan, building two hospitals, one in the Panjshir Valley and another in Kabul. Italian parliamentarian Ugo Intini, who is known to be very close to Shah, complains that had other countries emulated Italy, the country wouldn't have come under the Taliban's sway nor would it have been so devastated.
Zahir Shah has often expressed his debt to Italy. But those close to him say his nostalgia for Afghanistan runs deep, and he's constantly pining to return to the country he has been exiled from. Many credit the former king with attempting to integrate and modernise Afghanistan in his 40 years of rule. Though choosing to remain neutral during World War II, he was partial to the Germans and Italians, seeking their help to counter the British. He was responsible for building universities and establishing commercial relations with Europe—and reportedly encouraged women's emancipation. In 1964, he introduced democracy in Afghanistan and lifted press censorship.
Even if Zahir Shah returns to his homeland, the only option for him would be to return to the system of constitutional monarchy. But the exiled king isn't about to unravel his plans and dreams. When the special representative of the UN, Francis Vendrell, visited Shah last fortnight, Shah reportedly told him that he wasn't interested in returning to the throne but only wanted to help his people out of the morass they have been sucked into. But a dose of his liberal spirit could be a timely salve for a savaged people.