Daikundi residents protest against Mubaligh brothers

KABUL (Pajhwok): Some residents of central Daikundi province on Tuesday protested in front of the parliament building in Kabul against what they called illegal activities of strongmen in the district.

Tor Mohammad Haidari, one of the protestors, alleged Hameed Mubaligh and Baqir Mubaligh and their other brothers had created trouble in Ashtarli district on daily basis.

He claimed: “The government could not curb the activities of these armed people.” The Mubaligh brothers extorted money from some farmers and kidnapped daughters of those who could not pay.

Haidari said the government could not stop the people because they were well-connected. However, he did not name the government officials supporting them.

Khalifa Musa, another resident, accused the men of killing his 19-year-old son without any reason last year. He claimed a lot of families had to leave their homes due to insecurity and threats from the brothers.

More than 150 families had been forced to move to Kabul, he revealed. “We have no choice but to leave everything behind if the government doesn’t pay any attention to our plight.”

Allah Dad, another protester, said: “In the last 12 years we have shared our grievances many times with the governor, police chief and other officials but to no avail.”

He explained Baqir Mubaligh had been a provincial council candidate last year but he could not win and his other brother Hamid Mubaligh was a high peace council member.

The protesters, numbering 150, urged the authorities to prosecute the brothers.

Fatima Akbari, lawmaker from Daikundi, told Pajhwok Afghan News she would share this problem in the general session of Wolesi Jirga.

“This has become a serious issue in Daikundi because these brothers have caused instability and displacement of many families,” she added.

But Baqir Mubaligh rejected the allegation, saying he has been in Kabul since last five months. “These are political games against us.”

hg/mud

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