‘Dostum, Raziq under govt pressure’

Monitoring Desk

MAZAR-E-SHARIF: The chief executive of Jamiat-e-Islami Ata Mohammad Noor has claimed that the First Vice President General Abdul Rashid Dostum and the provincial police chief of Kandahar Gen. Abdul Raziq are under immense pressure of the government.

Noor made the latest claims during a gathering in Mazar-e-Sharif city late on Tuesday evening where scores of his supporters had gathered as a deadlock still persists between him and the government over the provincial leadership of Balkh province.

According to Noor, the government is attempting to force the First Vice President of Afghanistan Gen. Dotum to abandon the membership of the newly-formed coalition.

He also went on to claim that the government has also increased pressures on Gen. Raziq to abandon support to him in a bid to maintain his post as the police chief of Kandahar.

This comes as tensions still remain high between the chief executive of Jamiat-e-Islami and the government over the leadership of Balkh province.

The US Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday called President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani to discuss key issues of mutual interest as well as the soaring tensions between the government and the chief executive of Jamiat-e-Islami Ata Mohammad Noor.

The White House in a statement said the Vice President highlighted Kabul’s continued engagement and critical progress on necessary reforms, political inclusion, and preparations for forthcoming elections.

The statement further added that Vice President Pence and President Ghani discussed the political leadership in the Balkh province. The Vice President emphasized his support for the Afghan government to engage with Balkh Governor Atta and conduct a peacefully negotiated transition of leadership.