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Hekmatyar rejects idea of coalition government, calls for elections
Hezb-e-Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar has rejected the idea of forming a coalition government as the way forward, and instead came out in support of holding elections.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Ariana News, Hekmatyar said that history shows that coalition governments have not been successful in Afghanistan.
“Coalition governments cannot administer a country like Afghanistan. Nowhere has it been successful. In Afghanistan too, it has not been successful. Experience also suggests the same. We witnessed it in the past 40 years. The communists could not form a coalition government. The secularists couldn’t make a successful coalition government in the past 20 years,” Hekmatyar said.
He said that Afghanistan needs “a single-party government.”
“Such a government should be led by a president who is elected and who is leading the most powerful inclusive political party,” Hekmatyar said.
He said that Hezb-e-Islami was the only inclusive political party in Afghanistan.
According to Hekmatyar, the circumstances for holding an election in Afghanistan are more suitable than ever. He said that Afghanistan needs an elected body that would make major decisions.
“If we could hold elections during the occupation when there was fighting in every corner of the country, why can’t we do it now?” Hekmatyar asked. “Isn’t the security situation a hundred times better than it was in the past?”
On calls by some politicians for federalism, Hekmatyar said such a system is not in the interest of Afghanistan.
“A federal system requires a powerful army that could control the situation. It requires a firm government supported by the majority of the public… Raising a federal system now is only watering a tree that has been planted by the enemy.”
Hekmatyar also rejected the idea of holding a Loya Jirga to choose the government, saying it is an outdated practice.
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is an Afghan politician and former mujahideen leader who twice served as prime minister during the 1990s.
In 2016, he signed a peace deal with the Afghan government and was allowed to return to Afghanistan after almost 20 years in exile.
Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) officially introduced Al-Haj Mullah Abdul Haq Hamkar as its new Chief Executive Officer, following a special decree by the Islamic Emirate’s Supreme Leader Amir al-Mu’minin Sheikh Hibatullah Akhundzada.
The ceremony was attended by senior officials, including representatives from the Ministries of Defense and Interior, provincial authorities, national institutions, the former DABS CEO Abdul Bari Omar, and directors and staff of the company.
Speakers highlighted recent progress at DABS, efforts to improve transparency and services, and the company’s move from losses toward profitability. In his remarks, Hamkar emphasized the importance of orderly transfer of responsibilities, obedience to leadership, and expanding electricity services, noting the central role of power supply in daily life and economic development.
Amir Khan Mutaqi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, met on Tuesday in Kabul with Georgette Gagnon, Officer-in-Charge of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the meeting covered the upcoming visit of Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, to Kabul, as well as the progress and upcoming meetings of the Doha Process working groups on counter-narcotics and private sector support, and other related issues.
The statement added that Muttaqi said the Islamic Emirate has made satisfactory progress in the Doha Process working groups, but opposing parties have yet to achieve significant results regarding alternative livelihoods and banking issues.
He emphasized that it is necessary for the relevant parties to take effective steps in these areas to enable progress in other sectors as well.
Gagnon referred to DiCarlo’s visit at the end of this month and called for cooperation in this regard.
She also evaluated the outcomes of previous sessions of the two Doha Process working groups positively and noted that further attention would be given to these matters.
The federal government has approved the re-export of all Afghan transit trade consignments stranded at Karachi and Gwadar ports, offering relief to traders affected by prolonged border closures.
According to Pakistani media, traders will be allowed to re-export their Afghan transit shipments through any Pakistani seaport of their choice.
Sources said the commerce minister has formally conveyed the decision to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
The measure aims to ease congestion and address disruptions caused by the suspension of trade routes.
Pakistan had earlier closed the Torkham and Chaman crossings for commercial activity due to security concerns, halting transit trade between the two countries from October 12.
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