This post was written by Hatchet reporter Spogmay Ahmed.

A former Afghanistan ambassador stressed Thursday that the country needs to become more self-reliant before the exodus of U.S. troops after a decade-long war.

Tayeb Jawad, who served as the Afghan ambassador to the U.S. from 2003 to 2010, said at the Elliott School of International Affairs that the pressure is on for Afghans to prove their independence as 2014 brings the country’s presidential election and the bulk of the U.S. pullout.

In particular, when Afghans go to the polls that year, they will need to show that the country has grown up since 2009’s fraudulent election. That will hinge on the reduction of international observers and taming of extremist groups, Jawad said.

“If we don’t have transparent or fair elections, then a lot of the accomplishments of the past four years will be undermined,” he said.

He also called for the end of an era when foreign observers and troops take over towns after years of internal turmoil and imminent conflict.

“Afghan fighting and dying for Afghanistan should be done by Afghans,” he said.

Still, Jawad called out the lack of concern for Afghanistan in the U.S. presidential campaign, deeming the war an unpopular mission.

“Almost all of the foreign policy issues were left out,” he said. “Decisions about national security and any leader should not be based on the popularity of the subject.”

The event was hosted by the Afghan Student Association and Delta Phi Epsilon.

The Afghan Student Association held a school supplies drive outside the event for the Afghan Education Foundation, which has built two schools in Afghanistan.