Jamiat-e-Islami Party Takes New Shape as Rabbani Becomes Its Provisional Leader

The Number of members of Jamiat-i-Islami party’s leadership council increased from nine to 64, and the party named Salahuddin Rabbani as its interim leader.

“In order to activate the central and local institutions we have agreed to expand the party’s interim leadership council. We announced 64 people, men and women as the members of provisional leadership council,” said Jamiat’s leader Rabbani.   

Jamiat-e-Islam has been one of the most powerful political parties in Afghanistan and it often criticized the structure of the presidential system.   

On Tuesday, the party reiterates for changing the structure of the current presidential system, suggesting parliamentary form of the government in the country as replacement.  

“Given the social structure of Afghanistan and in order to avert political tyranny and monopolization, parliamentary system is the most moderate system for the country” Rabbani added.

Chief Executive of National Unity Government Abdullah Abdullah was also the member of the party but his name was not included in the list of 64 members, apparently, because of his current role in the government.  

“We have discussed with Dr. Abdullah, but he did not join the leadership Council might be because of the position he is in now,” said Jamiat-e-Islami Party’s Spokesman, Waqif Hakimi.

Reports suggest, Atta Mohammad Noor, former Vice-President Yunus Qanooni, Jihadi leader Ismail Khan, and Parliament member Hafiz Mansour are among the most recognized figures that have joined the party’s leadership council.

Jamiat-e-Islami was emerged in 1972 led by former head of High Peace Council Burhanuddin Rabbani who was killed in 2011, following a terror attack, and his son Salahuddin Rabbani previously was the party’s Chief Executive.

By Ali Asghari and Shakib Mahmud