Gulbadin Hikmatyar terms Afghan elections ‘comedy drama’

[Naveed Yaseen]

PESHAWAR: Hezb-i-Islami chief Gulbaddin Hekmatyar has termed the upcoming Afghan elections a “comedy drama” staged by the invaders.

“Elections amid full-fledged war and presence of invaders are nothing but a comedy drama. No mature and sensitive person will believe in such elections and we ask the people and candidates not to waste time in this useless game,” the former Afghan prime minister told the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) in an interview.

The Hezb-i-Islami chief, however, said they would not disrupt the so-called elections. “We will not waste our time on none issues. The real thing is to oust the invaders from the country,” he said.

Ruling out talks with the Afghan government, Hekmatyar said: “The Kabul administration is powerless and there is no justification to talk to it. Innocent people are being killed in indiscriminate bombing by foreign forces and the Karzai government has failed to check the same.”

To a question, the Hezb-i-Islami chief said his party members were active across Afghanistan. “We are carrying out cultural and motivational activities in many areas. Attacks are being carried out only in areas where occupation forces are based,” he said.

Hekmatyar said his party would continue jihad until the last American soldier left Afghanistan. About deployment of Islamic forces in Afghanistan, he said: “If other groups consider the presence of these forces necessary, then we can agree to a limited number of forces of Islamic countries but they must not be from neighbouring countries. They must not support any group, should be deployed outside the cities and must be under the control of the government.”

About relations with al-Qaeda and Taliban, he said that they had no links or agreement with Taliban and al-Qaeda. The cooperation, coordination and joint struggle, however, existed between the mujahideen of both the groups on local level and in some areas, he added.

Hekmatyar said that he was confident that the resistance movement would succeed and the invading forces would be compelled to leave the country. About the suicide attacks, he said that they considered such attacks on the enemy as useful. Such attacks, however, must not be carried out on militia posts and national army. “Suicide bombers are a great asset to the resistance and they should not be wasted in useless operations.”

The former Afghan prime minister lambasted Iran and Pakistan for supporting the US invasion of Afghanistan. He said that President Obama had been repeating the failed experience of Bush. “US wants to repeat Iraq’s experience in Afghanistan.

“They strengthened a minority group there. They also want to unite Shiites and give them a big role in the government. The imperialists always impose minorities on the people they conquer,” he said.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=186368