Afghan President Hamid Karzai, right, listens to British Foreign Secretary David Miliband during a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Friday, Nov. 20, 2009. (AP)

"There is now clear window of opportunity for President Karzai and his government to make a compact with the people of Afghanistan to demonstrate clearly that they are going to have accountability and tangible results that will improve the lives of the people", the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said after the swearing in ceremony of Hamid Karzai as the President of Afghanistan second time.

"Compact with people", "accountability" and "tangible results" are very loaded words in the context of Afghanistan politics today.

The credibility of Hamid Karzai is at its lowest after the allegations of large scale electoral malpractices in the recently held presidential elections. The verdict which was meant to provide legitimacy to the government has in fact brought a big question mark over the genuineness of the government and the way the whole election process came to be conducted. In this background it becomes really challenging for the President to restore his bruised image.

Addressing the problem of corruption would be the first step in the direction of reclaiming people’s confidence. In his inaugural speech Karzai has promised to take a tougher line against corruption and warned that his ministers have to be "competent and just". At a time when the Talibans are making their presence felt and expanding their base in many new areas of Afghanistan the people’s trust in the central government is important. A government with large scale trust deficit is a fodder to the resurgent Taliban to claim to be the true representative of the people of Afghanistan.

Karzai assumes office at a very critical and pivotal moment. With eight years into the Afghan war and the restlessness of the Western allies over the cost, direction and victory against the Talibans the new government will have to deliver if a stable and secure democracy has to take firm root in the war devastated country.

Winning the hearts and minds of the people through the development efforts in the area dominated by the Talibans would be the first task. Karzai will have to assert himself through "positive new agenda" and should appear to act independently in tackling various issues as the Afghans see international pressure as an affront to Afghan sovereignty.

How the President manages to balance Afghan’s historic sense of sovereignty and the present Western pressure to deliver on the front of governance and security-it would be the real challenge for the new government.

The Afghanistan government will have to redraw the whole strategy of engaging the Talibans. The question is  - an enhancement of Western troops is the only option to fight the insurgents? History is before Afghanistan -that troops do not win a war but people’s mobilization and support that defeat the enemies of the country. So, carrot and stick policy against Talibans combined with the developmental efforts at the ground should be one of the strategies.

Some reports suggest that the Karzai government has been making efforts to wean away some of the Talibans and bring them into the mainstream. The West should also be open to the idea of a peaceful engagement with the Talibans without compromising on the basic issues of security and democracy.

People are already tired of decades of war. They will welcome any move to restore peace in the country. A peace without involving people would not succeed as we have seen in Afghanistan in the past and as we have witnessed in other parts of the world.

The West should play a role of a guardian rather than keep on dictating terms. Despite all the financial and military support from the west Afghans nurture deep seated suspicion on their intention. Karzai is generally seen as a Western stooge. To restore the image of the new President in the eyes of the people of the country it is important that America does not overtly interfere in the functioning of the government. It is important to understand that people’s confidence is not is won by hurting their pride.

So it is imperative for Karzai now to chart his own course of governance. People can tolerate the political mistakes made by Karzai if they are taken independently.His reported attempt to engage some elements in the Taliban is one such move to reassert his authority.

NATO is trying to suggest names for the appointment in the government which they claim to be "not corrupt". As a President of the country Karzai should excercize his authority to choose his team without succumbing to the external pressure.

At the same time the new government should try to broaden his team and should include some of his rivals who fought the Presidential elections against him. This will not only give wider acceptability to the government but also bring in an element of sincerity on its part to broad base the support and govern the country with the support of all sections of the society. Deepening of democratizing process is important at this juncture to wipe off the blot of chaotic and rigged elections.

Karzai today stands at a very historic and vital moment in Afghan history. If he manages to establish compact with people in the next five years Afghanistan will turn a new leaf. His failure would mean not only a failure of democracy in the country but also a great let down to the people who want a dream,who want a hope, who want a new world and who want a well deserving peace.