Monitoring Desk
KABUL: Hours after Engineer Gulbadin Hekmatyar expelled Abdul Hadi Arghandiwal, Engineer Muhammad Khan and Dr Abdul Basir Anwar from the Hizb-e-Islami Afghanistan (HIA), Abdul Hadi Arghandiwal said on Wednesday that no one could oust him from the HIA.
Talking to Afghan Islamic Press (AIP), Arghandiwal said the HIA had been registered with the Afghan government with his name.
“Everyone could not take a decision about the Hizb-e-Islami at his home and nor is HIA being run on dictatorship. No one could expel us from Hizb-e-Islami,” he said.
To a question as why two parties are run with the same name, he said their organization was registered with the justice ministry of Afghanistan. If Hekmatyar wanted to form another party, he could establish his own organization with another name, Arghandiwal observed.
He said that they had links with all parties of the country as Afghan citizens and political process. If anyone wanted to put limits on the relations of people, it was tantamount to dictatorship.
Arghandiwal said he did not expect the Hizb-e-Islami of Hekmatyar would take such a funny decision as talks were already in progress on the matter.
The Hizb-e-Islami of Engineer Gulbadin Hekmatyar announced that Abdul Hadi Arghandiwal, Engineer Muhammad Khan and Dr Basir Anwar were no more the members of their party.
According to Hizb-e-Islami of Engineer Gulbadin Hekmatyar, these persons had links with other parties against the principles of HIA. According to a press release issued by HIA, Arghandiwal had been offered to form another party.
The press release stated that the Hizb-e-Islami under the leadership of Hekmatyar had signed a peace agreement with the Afghan government. As per the accord, it had been decided that the Hizb-e-Islami would formally operate only under the leadership of Hekmatyar. All the government entities had accepted the proposal.
However, Arghandiwal told AIP that they would not create any issues if Hekmatyar wanted to form a separate party.
Engineer Muhammad Khan is the sitting deputy executive officer of the National Unity Government while Dr Basir Anwar is the justice minister.
According to Arghandiwal, these persons were the members of Hizb-e-Islami since several years.
To a question that Hekmatyar has formed Hizb-e-Islami about 50 years ago, he said they were also members of the same party 50 years ago. They had played role in the creation and growth of Hizb-e-Islami, he added.
Engineer Muhammad Khan and Dr Basir Anwar have not said anything about the decision of Hizb-e-Islami of Engineer Gulbadin Hekmatyar so far.
The Hizb-e-Islami is a widespread organization in Afghanistan which has tens of thousands of followers and supporters throughout the country.
