Abdullah, Saleh deadest against deal with Taliban

KABUL insurgency.

Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, leader of the Coalition for Change and Hope, and former intelligence chief Amarullah Saleh vehemently opposed peace with the Taliban who executed orders from foreign spy services and spilled the blood of innocent Afghans.

Addressing a huge gathering in Kabul, Abdullah branded Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden as a “criminal and traitor” and said his followers had assassinated Northern Alliance commander Ahmad Shah Massoud.

Denouncing the incumbent government as incompetent, the ex-foreign minister alleged: “Karzai has asked 40 countries of the world to mislead the people and play with Afghans’ destiny.”

He said the government had been able to make any achievements during Karzai’s second tenure as president. A majority of Afghans desired peace only if it did not lead to war, he added.

He said they wanted reforms and had several times asked the government to do so. “Justice will eventually prevail. Those ignoring our calls and demands of the people would fail,” he said.

Amrullah Saleh said the people of Afghanistan were against any understanding with those who spilled the blood of Afghans. “Calling them brothers is a mistake and we will not accept any group responsible for trampling our national dignity,” he said.

At the behest of Pakistan, he alleged, the government cancelled the Mujahidin Victory Day celebration on April 28, which he said was a matter of pride for Afghans.

He said they raised their voice through media, the national assembly and other platforms, but the president did not heed their calls. “If you don’t listen to our voice and demands for justice against terrorism, we would pour onto streets,” he warned.

“Why the government doesn’t convene a jirga to gauge the public mood? The government wants to enter talks with those who are shedding the blood of our people in each corner of the country. We say no to any deal with the Taliban and will block such efforts,” the former spy chief vowed.

Another speaker, Liaqat Ali Amini, said Afghanistan’s political affairs were moving in the wrong direction. “If demands of the people are not paid attention, they will rise in defence of their rights and will overpower those involved in sealing deals,” he said.

Participants of the gathering issued a resolution, saying the people of Afghanistan wanted peace with dignity. “We want the Loya Jirga to be called into session, not a traditional one. The Loya Jirga is the highest and the only legislative body to decide on national issues,” the resolution added.

“In the first step, we demand the government to respond to our legal demands, otherwise we would boycott it. We ask all participants to wait for a response from the government”.

myn/ma/mud

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