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Hekmatyar threatens a revolt if govt fails to free prisoners
Leader of the Hezb-e-Islami party Gulbuddin Hekmatyar said on Sunday that if government failed to abide by conditions laid out in the US-Taliban agreement, signed in February last year, there would be a revolt and the Presidential Palace would fall.
Addressing an event to mark the 32nd anniversary of the withdrawal of Soviet Union troops from Afghanistan, Hekmatyar said: “The US agreement with the Taliban is a necessity.
“The US has no choice but to leave Afghanistan,” he said adding that the “US has lost one of its most costly wars (Afghanistan),” Hekmatyar said.
He stated that the Afghan government has an obligation to end the war and that Hezb-e-Islami is “not willing to end its hostility towards government.”
Hekmatyar implied he would launch a protest action against government in a bid to “end the crisis” and even, “if necessary end the government.”
Hekmatyar also stated an interim government in Afghanistan was “a necessity.”
“The Afghan government is preparing for a new fighting season and is providing arms to militias,” Hekmatyar said adding that “weapons are distributed to those warlords who previously fought against the Taliban.”
Also addressing the event was former vice president Mohammad Yunus Qanooni who said the Afghanistan political landscape was currently very “sensitive”.
He also said the peace talks in Doha are deadlocked.
According to him, the Taliban leadership believes the crisis can be solved through talks but the “young Taliban members want to continue violence.”
President Ashraf Ghani in turn spoke about the Soviet Union occupation and withdrawal of Russian troops 32 years ago.
He said: “The purpose of the jihad of our people was that after the withdrawal of the Soviet forces in Afghanistan, a system would emerge at the will of the people and to protect them.”
“But because the withdrawal of Soviet troops was not responsible and no measures were taken for the future of the country, Afghanistan was plunged into a multi-dimensional civil war that resulted in the security forces, national institutions and infrastructure of Afghanistan falling apart,” Ghani added.
“The opportunity for an end to war and peace in the country has now been created and we will achieve peace, we will achieve lasting peace,” he said.
Sunday’s event comes on the heels of confirmation by a number of sources that the peace talks between the Afghan Republic and the Taliban have stalled in Doha.
Talks which started in September last year were a result of the US-Taliban deal. As per the agreement, the US pledged to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by May this year.
The Taliban in turn pledged to reduce violence and cut all ties with al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations.
However, the Taliban has been accused of not upholding its commitments and the US, under new President Joe Biden, has stated it is reviewing the deal signed by former Trump administration officials.
In line with this, the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) on Sunday also addressed the event and urged both sides to return to the negotiating table and to reduce “the unjust human, material and moral costs of the war.”
The organization also stated there was a need for an immediate ceasefire, and the end to the war.
Hekmatyar, who is a veteran Afghan mujahideen leader, last year expressed his willingness to form an alliance with the Taliban in Afghanistan.
In October Hekmatyar stated Hezb-e-Islami was ready for direct talks with the Taliban, as well as for a partnership and cooperation.
“We believe that if these two groups join hands, the crisis in Afghanistan will end soon and no force will be able to stand against it,” he said at the time.
Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, the acting minister of National Defense, met Thursday with Mohammad bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in Kabul, the spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense Inayatullah Khwarazmi said in a statement.
Khwarazmi stated that in this meeting, Mujahid expressed his gratitude for Qatar’s humanitarian aid to the recent earthquake and flood victims in the country.
Mujahid also emphasized strengthening relations and continuing cooperation with Qatar, the statement added.
The statement noted that Al-Khulaifi assured all Afghans of the strengthening of friendly relations and the continuation of further cooperation in various fields.
In addition, Sirajuddin Haqqani, the acting Minister of Interior, also met with Al-Khulaifi on Thursday.
The interior ministry said in a statement that Al-Khulaifi said Qatar will stand with Afghanistan and expressed hope of strengthening ties and making further progress in the political, security, and economic sectors.
Haqqani also thanked the government of Qatar for providing emergency assistance to the families affected by recent floods, the statement added.
Qatar’s deputy foreign minister Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi met with Afghanistan’s deputy prime minister for economic affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar on Thursday and urged the IEA to attend the upcoming Doha meeting.
During this meeting, which took place in Kabul, political, economic and commercial relations were discussed between the two sides.
Baradar thanked Qatar for its cooperation with Afghanistan in various fields and said that these relations should be expanded and strengthened.
He also said currently there are numerous investment opportunities in Afghanistan and Qatari investors are welcome to invest.
According to Baradar, the Islamic Emirate has provided necessary facilities to foreign investors and fully supports them.
Al-Khulaifi in turn said Qatar will encourage investors to invest in Afghanistan and for this purpose, Qatari investors will visit Kabul in the near future.
Al-Khalifi added that they are working closely with Qatar Airlines to start flights to Afghanistan and to strengthen commercial relations between the two countries.
Khalifi meanwhile asked the Islamic Emirate to attend the upcoming meeting of special envoys for Afghanistan in Doha. He said Qatar would like the IEA to attend the meeting so that definite conclusions can be reached.
He added that without the presence of the IEA, such meetings are fruitless. He said he had clarified his position to the United Nations in this regard.
Baradar meanwhile said that the Islamic Emirate wants broad political-economic relations with all countries.
He emphasized that without IEA representation at meetings, no results can be reached and therefore, it is necessary to respect the position of the Islamic Emirate in such gatherings.
This comes after Baradar and foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi met with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sherpur Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani in Tehran in Iran.
The Political Commission of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) met on Thursday at the Sepidar Palace in ARG, for talks on the situation in the country, in the region and on the upcoming Doha meeting.
Chaired by deputy prime minister for political affairs, Mawlavi Abdul Kabir, the IEA leaders also discussed the need for the delivery of humanitarian aid to the needy.
In addition, the political commission discussed the expansion of relations and interaction with a number of countries and decisions were taken on various issues on the agenda.
The United Nations said on Tuesday the next Doha meeting of Special Envoys for Afghanistan has been set for June 30 and July 1.
The spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric, said at a briefing on Tuesday that civil society activists will also attend the Doha meeting.
He said an invitation has been extended to the Islamic Emirate to attend the meeting.
He said the Islamic Emirate’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amir Khan Muttaqi, has received an advance invitation from the UN Secretary-General to participate at the upcoming meeting of Special Envoys.
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