Karzai praises Qasim, renews stance on Durand Line

KABUL, President Hamid Karzai said on Saturday.

Karzai paid this tribute to the slain policeman at a meeting with Momand tribal elders from eastern Nangarhar province, where the skirmish occurred in Goshta town on May 1. Public representatives from Nangarhar also spoke on the occasion.

A statement from the Presidential Palace quoted tribal elders as saying the nation had once again shown its unity in the wake of the border skirmish, proving that they were capable of defending their motherland under all circumstances.

MP Faridoon Momand said: “All agreements that Great Britain had signed with weak nations were declared invalid at the United Nations in 1948. But the imposed Durand Line remains a flame of fire for the peoples on both sides.”

The elders suggested nationwide consultations on reclaiming Afghanistan’s territory from the neighbouring country, according to the statement that quoted Karzai as appreciating the sentiments of the Momand tribe. He promised consulting Afghans on the long-running spat. 

Referring to his meeting with the policeman’s family two days back, the president said the first words Qasim Khan’s mother shared with him were “I congratulate you on my son’s martyrdom”.

Karzai added: “In response, I pray to God to give my son Mirwais similar courage to follow in Qasim Khan’s footsteps.” Enemies could never subdue Afghanistan as long as it had sons of soil like the border police officer, he remarked.

He reiterated that Afghanistan had never recognised the British-mandated border in the past and would not do so in future. This stance had been amply clear since Amir Abdur Rahman’s rule, the president concluded.

pr/mud

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