Personal interests ruptured grand alliance: East elders

Monitoring Desk

KABUL: A number of residents of eastern provinces on Monday said politicians who formed the Grand National Alliance have forgotten their promises and were pursuing personal interests.

The residents, coming all the way from Nangarhar, Kunar, Laghman and Nuristan provinces to Kabul, said they would support election teams which only worked for the national interest, not personal.

More than a hundred tribal elders from the four eastern provinces attended the gathering in Kabul.

Haji Hazrat Ali, a lawmaker from Nangarhar and an organizer of today’s gathering, said no tribal elders from the eastern region had so far announced their support for a particular presidential candidate.

He said they would not join any candidate unless advised by their people to do so. Ali said the GNA was formed to fight against Afghanistan’s challenges, but the alliance broke ahead of the presidential election as each politician in the party wanted to reach the power corridors.

The GNA was created few months back and politicians who joined the alliance had promised to work for ending the country’s problems and would introduce an election team for the presidential election.

First vice-president and Junbish-i-Islami Afghanistan head Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum, Jamiat-i-Islami Afghanistan chief Salahuddin Rabbani, former Balkh governor Atta Mohammad Noor, former special representative to the president, Ahmad Zia Massoud, deputy chief executive officer (CEO) Mohammad Mohaqiq and former spy chief, Rahmatullah Nabil are members of the coalition.

Anwarul Haq Ahadi, head of Afghanistan’s New National Front, Ismail Khan, former water and energy minister, Mohammad Younus Qanuni, former vice-president, Hamayon Hamayon, first deputy speaker of Wolesi Jirga, Haji Zahir Qadir, a lawmaker from Nangarhar province, Lalai Hamidzai, a lawmaker from Kandahar province and some other political figures are other members of the alliance.

However, Rabbani and Dostum announced their support for Dr. Abdullah Abdullah in the presidential race, with Noor, Mohaqiq, Qanoni and Ismail Khan joining Mohammad Hanif Atmar’s camp and Nabil independently nominated for the election.

Haji Hazrat Ali, a member of the GNA said, “These figures destroyed Afghanistan for their own interests and power, God may destroy them, it would be better if all these leaders become united for a single purpose which is national interest and announce a single team, but each of them are moving in different directions.”

Ali said most of GNA members had made deals and had forgotten their promises with the people. “People from the eastern region have always taken part in national processes but their rights always denied,” he added.

Gulzar Sangarwal, a provincial council member of Laghman province, also criticized political leaders of the country and said, “We will support a team which is good for the country and defends the rights of people of the east.”

Sayed Ghafor Ghafori, an influential figure from Laghman province, said unity between political leaders would help improve the situation in Afghanistan and politicians should think about national interest not personal. Peer Bakhsh Gardiwal, a representative of the gathering, said, “Elders of the eastern region have come to the conclusion that they would support Ashraf Ghani if they did not find a committed team.” (Pajhwok)