Support for Karzai’s stance on prison transfer grows

 ASADABAD (PAN’s control.

The expression of support came at a meeting in Asadabad, the provincial capital, with participants urging the US military to respect Afghanistan’s sovereignty and hand the prison over to Afghan authorities.

Governor Fazlullah Wahidi, dozens of civil society leaders, religious scholars and youth attended the gathering that backed the presidential position on the thorny issue that lately fuelled tensions between the two countries.

Abdul Wahid, an organiser of the event and Afghan Syed Jamaluddin Civil Society member, regretted the Obama administration’s failure to honour its commitment to transitioning all detention facilities to the Karzai government.

Governor Wahidi said the people reserved the right under the current democratic dispensation in the country to organise such meetings on questions of national importance.

The government lent its weight to such peaceful meetings, he said, calling President Karzai’s remarks the voice of the entire nation.

Addressing the meeting, religious scholars Ziaur Rahman said the Bagram jail inmates be supervised by local officials and tried by Afghan courts.

Another participant, Mohammad Tayeb, also asked foreigners to show respect for Afghan laws and President Karzai’s decrees.

On Saturday, the US defense secretary sought one week’s time for clinching a deal on the complete transfer of the prison to Afghan control.

In a telephonic conversation with Karzai, Chuck Hagel said the US military in Afghanistan would be able to bring the jail handover process to an end in a week.

Delayed several times, the jail transfer must happen in line with Afghanistan’s sovereignty, a statement from Karzai’s office said.

The Afghanistan Ulema Council has also asked US forces to transfer the detention facility to Afghan control and leave the central province of Maidan Wardak as soon as possible.

mud

Visits: 4