IEA defense minister: We should address people’s legitimate demands

Muhammad Yaqub Mujahid, the Minister of National Defense of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), said on Wednesday that the legitimate demands of the people should be addressed.

Mujahid said this at a ceremony marking the 34th anniversary of the withdrawal of former Soviet Union troops from Afghanistan.

“We should never be arrogant. At any time, we should address the legitimate demands of the people and try to gather the people around us. For development, we must join hands with the people,” Mujahid said.

He added that the Islamic Emirate is seeking a system that would mirror all the people in the country.

Other officials of the Islamic Emirate pointed out that independence has always been earned by the people and political leaders should not lose it through their negligence.

“The freedoms of the past have been lost due to the negligence and lack of agreement between the leaders and rulers,” said Shahabuddin Delawar, the Minister of Mines and Petroleum.

Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani, Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, said: “The government should understand that the opposition in the past joined hands with the world powers to gain power. Now unity is necessary and all people must be respected in order to maintain the existing independence and sovereignty.”

Meanwhile, the Foreign Minister stressed that the Islamic Emirate wants positive and constructive engagement in the light of Islamic principles and Afghanistan’s national interests.

Amir Khan Muttaqi said: “We want positive relations with the world. We want economic and political relations. Neighboring countries have expressed concern about the presence of thousands of Daesh members. We say that Daesh has no place in Afghanistan. Any Daesh member that emerges will be dismantled. There is no threat to anyone from Afghanistan.”

During the ceremony, officials also emphasized that occupation of Afghanistan once again is impossible and those who seek division will fail.