Ghani’s remarks spark widespread reaction

Many Afghans have slammed former president Ashraf Ghani for having fled the country ahead of the Taliban take over and said his statement on Facebook sums up his disregard for the country and its people.

Ghani’s critics say he left the country in the midst of a crisis.

Ghani, who has taken refuge in the United Arab Emirates, said in a video message Wednesday night that he had left the country to save his life as he feared being assassinated but said he hoped to return soon.

But a senior official from Ghani’s government said the former president had asked for his diplomatic passport days before leaving and that he knew what he was doing. 

Thousands of Afghans trying to leave the country with the help of foreign embassies have blamed Ghani for the current situation and said he was responsible for the violence before he fled the country. 

Shazia, one resident who is trying to leave the country because of her children, said she now faces a very uncertain future. 

“May Ashraf Ghani’s house be ruined, he stole the country’s money and left the people with no destiny,” Shazia said. 

“The culprit is Ashraf Ghani now it is clear to the whole nation,” said another resident Rabani. 

“The people themselves are shocked about what to do, everyone is escaping from poverty and misery,” said Azatullah, another resident. 

Ghani, who has taken refuge in Abu Dhabi, in the UAE, described his escape in a video message which he posted to his Facebook page on Wednesday night.

“Sunday after I went to the Ministry of Defense’s headquarters to check the situation in Kabul, suddenly my bodyguards arrived to thwart a large conspiracy and ousted me,” Ghani said.

But some former foreign ministry officials have rejected Ghani’s claims and said he asked for his diplomatic passport from the ministry a few days before fleeing the country. They said he had already planned to go. 

Ghani meanwhile said in his video message that he did not take large amounts of cash with him, as reported. 

“I did not take any money with me and I was not even able to change my shoes when I left my homeland and take my personal notes and laptop computer, which were ‘government secret documents’ and are now ‘in the hands of others’,” Ghani said. 

According to reports, Ghani, Hamdallah Moheb, and Fazl Mahmoud Fazli and dozens of his entourage first flew to Uzbekistan on a special flight and from there took refuge in Abu Dhabi, UAE.