MAIMANA (SW) – Thousands of Junbish-e-Islami protestors took to the streets in Jawzjan, Faryab and a number of other provinces against the arrest of Nezamuddin Qaisari, commander of a local militia now in the custody of the Ministry of Defense.
The protesters have warned to boycott forthcoming elections and launch civil disobedience campaign if their demands are not met.
In a similar protest demonstration in Takhar province supporters of the first vice president Abdul Rasheed Dostum’s Junbish-e-Islami party closed the Kunduz – Badakhshan highway for many hours. They demanded return of the first VP to the country from Turkey and release of Qaisari.
Hundreds of demonstrators from the Andkhoy region in Faryab also staged a protest. They closed down the highway leading to the Aqena dry port in the province.
Meanwhile, Shah Hussain Murtazawi, deputy spokesman for the president, has clarified the people have full right to stage democratic protests. Without saying anything about the release of Qaisari, he said it is the duty of the security forces to ensure safety and security of the masses.
Qaisari, a commander of the local uprising militia and interim police chief for the Qaisar district in Faryab province, was taken into custody by the security forces following a troubled security meeting in Maimana, provincial capital, on Tuesday, and moved to Kabul.
ENDS
