Ex-interior minister launches new political party

KABUL): Former interior minister Muhammad Hanif Atmar on Thursday launched a new political party, saying the Right and Justice group would stand by the people and work for promoting their interests.

While announcing the party’s launch at a news conference, he said the president was authorised to call a traditional Loya Jirga any time to consulate people on an issue of national importance.

However, Atmar said the traditional gathering was different from Wolesi Jirga, the lower house of Parliament which could not be replaced.  “No other body can act or have Parliament’s powers under the basic law.”

More than 2,000 government officials and tribal elders are scheduled to meet in mid-November in Kabul to discuss the pros and cons of a strategic cooperation deal with the United States.

Convening at the Polytechnic University on November 16, all sitting parliamentarians, some former MPs, 30 percent members of each provincial council, representatives of civil society, religious scholars and tribal elders will confer on a mechanism for peace negotiations with the insurgents.

 According to former minister, the current law and order situation in the country was far from satisfactory. With that in mind, terrorist safe heavens should be targeted and Afghan National Army (ANA) strengthened.

The new party has been set up to work on the social, political, security and economic issues that the government was unable to deal with, said Hamidullah Farooqi, a member of the new entity.

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