In the name of security !

Security. Security. Security. That's what many Afghans would likely agree upon as one of the most crucial priorities for Afghanistan.

Every effort is made to improve the security situation although with little success in many rural parts of the country. Additionaly, looking at the amount of international aid and resources devoted towards improving the security situation, one finds it rather astonishing and worth rethinking.

In Afghanistan, much of the aid that has to go to development has been 'militarized'. I will leave it up to the readers to calculate how much a NATO soldier costs for Afghanistan? Where does this money come from? Where is it supposed to go?

These may explain why the ordinary people of Afghanistan continue to complain about the lack of tangible development and change in Afghanistan as a whole. This, by no means, is to suggest that security is not crucial to Afghanistan. But, rather to emphasize that the bulk of money goes towards bringing security while the war-battered country's issues are somehow sidelined.

In such circumstances, an equal, if not greater emphasis, must be placed on tackling the core problems Afghanistan is faced with. This includes maternal and child mortality, alternative livelihoods for the farmers, rebuilding the infrastructures and creating employment opportunities.

Too much is spent in Afghanistan in the name of security. It's time that we pay attention to issues such as maternal mortality, which is one of the worst in the entire world.

Here is 'a tip of the ice berg':

" There is only one maternity hospital in Badakhshan province, in north-eastern Afghanistan – a large area with a population of about 1 million. The hospital has just 20 beds." BBC Online

Read BBC's comprehensive reporting on the issue

Losing Afghanistan's friends: Are we doing enough to protect them?

Many natives of Afghanistan consider their land as 'one of the most hospitable' countries on the face of the earth. Is it really?

Earlier this month, two Japanese teachers, technical arts teacher Jun Fukusho, 44, and female English teacher Shinobu Hasegawa, 30, were found dead in southern Afghanistan.

This recent incident,however, may not send shockwaves everywhere given growing security concerns in rural areas, especially prior to the upcoming Afghan parlimentary elections.

Around 40 relief workers have already lost their lives in one of the poorest countries wrecked by decades of instability and turmoil.

How many more will fall prey into the hands of criminals, terrorists and 'professional killers' yet remains to be seen.

But, do these incidents portray the genuine identity and aspirations of common Afghan men and women?

For many of you who have visited Afghanistan, known Afghans and/or have been touched by their personal stories, the answer would most likely be 'No'.

Despite a turbulent history of decades long conflicts and constant sufferings, ordinary Afghans remain 'one of the most hospitable' nation with smiles on their faces upon seeing visitors in their war-ravaged homeland.

To many Afghans, these visitors are more than messengers of peace and prosperity in Afghanistan. Afghans take special joy in inviting visitors to their homes for special tea and delicious Afghan meal. As such, the question of taking the lives of their guests becomes out of question.

However, the limited and relative security in the Afghan capital and some urban areas seems so 'catchy' to many tourists that they venture into Afghanistan's rural and sometimes insecure areas. In doing so, they often ignore crucial security warnings and potential risks to their lives.

All this offers a 'window of opportunity' for those with political, material and personal interests to take the lives of innocent, and in several cases, those who risk their own precious lives to assist most impoversished Afghans.

Perhaps, it is a high time for the Afghan government and the international community to do more than simply condemning the killings of visitors in Afghanistan.

The creation of an authoritative, knowledgeable and efficient entity is deemed crucial to ensuring the safety and protection of relief workers and ordinary global citizens, who have a passion to help Afghans take control of their future.

It's the government's ultimate responsibility to root out those exploiting friends of Afghanistan for their political, material and personal ends.

Rebuilding Afghanistan's 'fragile identity' and upholding its pride in the world require attention, commitment and action both on part of the Afghan government and the international community.

Afghanistan' friends are our eyes and ears. They, no doubt, deserve Afghans' unparallel and most hearfelt hospitality and care.