KABUL, Aug 14 (INP) An ominous rumble of discontent is sweeping Afghanistan, driven by a mixture of anxiety, anger, frustration and political opportunism, Washington Post reported.. In the past two months, an assortment of new opposition groups has emerged, some with noble-sounding names and reformist agendas, led by an improbable collection of tribal leaders, ethnic militia bosses, disaffected public appointees and young professionals. Even an old communist general has joined the fray with a new, pointedly non-leftist party called the “Homeland Movement.” The government of President Ashraf Ghani has failed to protect the public and provide jobs. The president has overreached his executive powers and excluded diverse points of view. He must act now, produce meaningful reforms and legitimize his fractured, teetering government —or else. If there is a common theme, it might best be summed up as “We feel left out.” Once-rival ethnic Uzbek and Tajik leaders from the north have joined forces with senior Hazara leaders from the capital, demanding that Ghani fire his top security aides and provide more patronage to their parties. Tribal elders from Ghani’s ethnic Pashtun group have held protest gatherings in eastern Nangahar and southern Kandahar provinces, complaining that he has neglected their regions while listening only to a small group of advisers from his own clan. “We are different from the warlords. We want hospitals and medicines; they want the Ministry of Health. We want roads and light; they want the Ministry of Public Works,” said Daoud Naji, an Enlightenment leader in Kabul. He said he has become disillusioned as Ghani’s government has failed to bring jobs, curb corruption and develop democratic institutions. “We do not believe in violence, but we are turning from good boys into bad boys,” Naji said. “We will run, shout, break windows and break the law, until they listen to us.” Meanwhile, the aides said, the president is determined to stay focused on the financial, justice and administrative reform agenda that has brought him kudos from Afghanistan’s foreign backers — which pay for 70 percent of the national budget — and from groups such as the International Monetary Fund. Even long time supporters say Ghani underestimated the short-term political costs of his long-term agenda, failing to reassure the public or win over influential people who have now turned against him. They also said his democratic rhetoric has been undercut by his dictatorial tendencies; Ghani has been unwilling to trust more than a handful of aides and has concentrated administrative power in a few commissions and individuals. Half a dozen senior officials have recently broken with the government or heavily criticized it. Perhaps most important, the national unity government, the result of an uneasy power-sharing agreement brokered in 2014 by the United States between Ghani and his top electoral rival, Abdullah Abdullah, has been riven by personal disputes, unable to legitimize itself and repeatedly delaying plans for overdue parliamentary elections. A date has been set for next July, and observers say the polls are crucial to restoring public confidence. But many Afghans doubt that the vote can be held fairly or safely. Meanwhile, with Ghani and the government at their most unpopular point, there are predictions that the president may not survive until his term ends in just over two years. Some opponents have called for an interim government, others for a traditional gathering of elders, to determine what happens next. One group of former militia leaders has made vague threats to overrun the capital. “The situation is very serious. We have not reached that point, but if current trends don’t reverse, if the government keeps putting cotton in its ears, things could explode,” said Umar Daudzai, a former senior official. “If the people rise up and say you can’t protect us and you can’t lead us, it will be difficult to stop. If we don’t hold elections and people lose confidence, the culture of warlordism could come back, and then the country will enter dark territory.” INP/AH/LK