No place for ex-officials in Cabinet: Baradar

KABUL (Tolo News): Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in an interview with Radio-Television of Afghanistan (RTA) said that the Islamic Emirate will not include members of the fallen republic government in its cabinet.
In response to a question about the international community’s demand for the formation of an inclusive government, Baradar said the US had given names of some former government officials to the Islamic Emirate during the Doha talks to fulfill this demand. Baradar accused the former government officials of “being corrupt” emphasizing that even including a few of them will harm the integrity of the Islamic Emirate.
“These people cannot be with us in the government, because even if they are five (even if only five people are included), they will harm our government’s standing and we don’t want our government to be brought down by such people,” he said.
In the meantime, Baradar said that the Islamic Emirate has fulfilled the pre-conditions for recognition and that the world should recognize it formally.
“The Islamic Emirate has fulfilled the requirements for the recognition, and the world should have recognized it,” he said. Baradar emphasized that if the world does not recognize the Islamic Emirate, the country will face an economic crisis that will not only affect Afghanistan but will also have negative consequences for the neighboring countries and the world.
Responding to question about girls’ education and the reopening of universities, Baradar said it is the right of everyone to have access to education. He said that economic problems and moral issues are two issues ahead of the reopening of the universities. “The education sector needs a strong economy, when economic challenges are resolved we will provide educational facilities for all those who want to purse their studies,” he said. He also dismissed claims by the former president Ashraf Ghani that he –Ghani–would have been killed if he had not left Kabul.