Does a dead man rule Afghanistan?

KABUL: Is a dead man the real ruler of Afghanistan? Judging by photographs that adorn all government offices, most shops, car windshields, and hoardings on street corners, it is certainly not interim Prime Minister Hamid Karzai.

The real ruler, the face that looks out from everywhere in Kabul, is Ahmad Shah Masood, a dead symbol of resistance against the Soviet Union and later the Taliban.

Never mind that Tajik commander Masood was murdered seven months ago, two days before September 11's attacks on the US set Afghanistan on its present road.

Arrive at Kabul airport and it is a photograph of Masood that looks down as your visa is stamped, not Karzai.

"Karzai does not have any real authority. Power is in the hands of those with guns," said a senior government official. "Masood followers are taking over all the important posts."