KABUL (SW): The Chief of Hezb-e-Islami party Gulbudin Hekmatyar said on Sunday the peace deal he has inked with the government is not for any share in the government.
Addressing a gathering in Jalalabad organized to welcome him back in the country, Hekmatyar said so far he has not decided to join the government, but is committed to cooperate with the government for peace and stability. Pronouncing the Hezb-e-Islami’s assault on Jalalabad during the 1980s as a ‘mistake’, Hekmatyar categorized the Taliban’s assault on Kunduz last year as a similar ‘mistake’. He once against urged the Taliban to lay down arms, and join the peace process.
On Saturday, in his first public appearance since decades, Hekmatyar called the Taliban insurgency unjust. He blamed the Taliban for the presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan. According the Hekmatyar, “Daesh” is a sub-group of the Taliban. He questioned the U.S.’s policy of fight against Daesh while ignoring the Taliban insurgency.
He urged government officials to work closely or give away their power for each other’s benefit. He also pledged to protect women’s rights in his recent speech.
Speaking on the occasion, the 2nd Vice President (VP) Sarwar Danish welcomed the Hezb-i-Islami leader. He said it was not easy to mark the peace deal with this party. “We faced many internal and external forces while making the deal”, he said. He urged all militant groups to enter peace deal with government as well.
ENDS
