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Hekmatyar set to launch mass protest action in Kabul
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, leader of Hizb-e-Islami party, on Thursday said his party is going ahead with demonstrations in Kabul as government has not complied with the party’s demands, which include the release of Hezb-e-Islami prisoners, the integration of his forces within the security forces, and the government’s continued resistance to the peace process.
Speaking at a press conference in Kabul, Hekmatyar said the Hizb-e-Islami demonstrations will continue until the current government is dissolved and replaced by an interim government.
Last month a large number of Hizb-e-Islami protesters poured onto Kabul streets near the Presidential Palace chanting slogans against what they said were “those who hamper the peace process.”
Protestors gave government 10 days in which to meet their demands. At the time, protesters, led by Hekmatyar, accused government of orchestrating targeted attacks and called for an end to the violence.
“Preparations have been made for the demonstrations starting tomorrow, and security agencies have been notified,” Hekmatyar said.
Hekmatyar also said that demonstrations will start in other provinces in the near future.
“Our demonstration was supposed to start a few days ago, but the Moscow meeting postponed our demonstration,” he said.
He further added: “We call on government officials to stop the war and prepare for peace and agree on a government that is acceptable to all, and when these demands are met, we will stop our demonstrations,” Hekmatyar said.
Hekmatyar also said in addition to demonstrations, armed party members will hold meetings in parts of the country.
“In addition to the demonstrations, we may have armed Mujahideen meetings in some areas to show the nation and the international community that these forces have both weapons and areas under their control, but that they will not fight because of Hizb-e-Islami’s peace agreement with the government. They want to join the security forces, but the government did not fulfill its commitment,” said Hekmatyar.
He also said the Presidential Palace is under pressure and has realized the fact that it must give way to a new and acceptable government and be ready to transfer power.
Hekmatyar also raised the issue of President Ashraf Ghani’s early election plan but stated government does not have the support of “outsiders”.
“Agreeing to early elections means that the current government has no legitimacy, is not sustainable, and is no longer backed by outside supporters,” Hekmatyar added.
“At the Turkey Summit, talks should be focused only on withdrawal of foreign troops under the Doha agreement and the replacement of the current government with an acceptable transitional government,” he said.
Istanbul Summit preparations underway
Meanwhile, representatives of the United States, Turkey and the United Nations are in Doha currently and consulting with the Afghan Republic’s negotiating team and the Taliban.
According to sources, these meetings have been organized in order to set the agenda for the Istanbul Summit scheduled to be held in the next few weeks.
The High Council for National Reconciliation said Thursday that before the Istanbul Summit, the parties must reach an agreement on what is to be presented in Turkey.
“Representatives of the United States and Turkey, and the United Nations, are in Doha and, hosted by Qatar, have begun talks on how to set the agenda for a meeting between Turkey and the negotiating delegations of the two sides,” said Farooq Majroh, a member of the Afghan Republic’s negotiating team.
A tripartite meeting between the delegations of Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan was held in Kabul with the aim of connecting North Asia to South Asia and reducing transit and transportation costs among these three countries, the Ministry of Trade and Commerce said in a statement.
In this meeting, an agreement was reached on the creation of a joint technical committee to continue the talks.
This tripartite meeting was held under the leadership of Nooruddin Azizi, the Acting Minister of Industry and Commerce, Vice President of Turkmenistan and Srik Zhumangarin, the Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan.
Earlier, a bilateral meeting was held between the delegation of the Islamic Emirate and Turkmenistan. The ministry of commerce said the participants of the meeting discussed the construction of a large joint logistics center in Torghondi, the trilateral transit agreement between the IEA, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan, the expansion of Afghanistan’s railway, solving issues related to Afghan transit and export goods, and a number of other commercial issues.
Acting Minister of National Defense Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid has said that no destructive groups including Daesh have physical presence in Afghanistan, adding the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) will not allow anyone to pose threat to any country in the region from the Afghan soil.
Mujahid made the remarks in a meeting with a delegation from Malaysia in Kabul on Thursday.
According to a statement released by the Ministry of Defense, Mujahid highlighted Malaysia’s “good treatment” of Afghan refugees and its long-standing relations with Afghanistan, and said that Malaysia is a powerful Islamic country and visits should increase.
He added that with the establishment of the Islamic Emirate, occupation and war ended in Afghanistan, and the country is fully secure.
Based on the statement, the Malaysian delegation called Afghanistan a friendly country and while emphasizing on comprehensive cooperation, it assured that what they have seen in Afghanistan will be shared with the authorities of their country.
The European Union signed an agreement worth 17 million euros with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to improve access to basic services, increased economic opportunities and protection for Afghans on the move and their host communities in Afghanistan.
The needs of women and girls are a particular focus of the programme, EU said in a statement released on Thursday.
The statement noted that from January 2023 until April 2024, over 1.5 million Afghans returned from Pakistan and Iran.
“I am deeply moved by the hardship returnees face when being deported to Afghanistan. In a country suffering from poverty and climate change, and in a city that just saw devastating earthquakes, this truly is a crisis within a crisis.”, said Peteris Ustubs, Director for the Middle East, Asia and Pacific of the European Commission’s Department for International Partnerships during the signing ceremony at the IOM transit centre in Herat.
Raffaella Iodice, EU Chargée d’Affaires a.i. to Afghanistan, added “The solidarity of the Afghan people towards their brothers and sisters is an inspiration. We must assure that communities hosting and helping new arrivals are supported. The partnership with IOM ensures access to essential services and provides protection for Afghan returnees and their host communities. As women and girls can be particularly affected, we make sure that all members of society can benefit”.
“IOM’s continued partnership with the EU has been critical in enabling our teams to reach hundreds of thousands of Afghan returnees and other vulnerable communities in the country”, said IOM Afghanistan Chief of Mission, Maria Moita. “Thanks to this renewed commitment, we will be able to focus on addressing the immense challenges in the areas of return and contribute to reintegration, social cohesion, and longer-term solutions for those communities.”
This additional contribution is part of a 5-year programme that is being implemented across Afghanistan and in four countries in the region. It builds on the EU’s previous support to IOM to improve the wellbeing of Afghans forced to return to the country, EU said.
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