“Peace deal with Hekmatyar is shameful”

KABUL (SW): Representatives from various spectrum of life gathered in the capital’s Shahr-e-Nau park to register their disparity towards a peace deal signed between the government and the Hizb-e-Islami led by Gulbudin Hikmatyar.

These protestors called the deal as a “shameful” move by the government. The protesters chanted slogans against this move saying that “Kabulis cannot forgive the butcher” and “no one is authorized to forgive “war criminals”. Shahrzad Akbar, a civil society activist, stated that those who have committed human rights violations and ‘war crimes’ should be put on trial.

Muhammad Haroon, another civil society activist, stressed that Gulbudin Hikmatyar and other ‘war criminals’ must be prosecuted. Ramin Anwari, member for the Movement for the Rights of War Victims (MRWV), told journalists on the occasion that the National Unity Government (NUG) has signed this “shameful agreement” in a bid to achieve political gains.

The demo concluded with a resolution that urged the NUG to respect human rights, bring political stability and restore peace but not pardon ‘war criminals’. The MRWV pushed the government to review the peace agreement with Hekmatyar, and deny him blanket impunity. Demonstrators also urged the international community and the UN not to remove Hekmatyar’s name from the sanctions’ list. 

ENDS