MAZAR-I-SAHRIF (Pajhwok): Balkh Governor Atta Mohammad Noor has said some Hezb-i-Islami (HIA) members are yet to surrender their weapons but the government has started distributing more arms to them.
In a message read out at an event at the governor’s house here on Sunday, Noor said he supported the government’s peace agreement with the HIA — the second largest militant outfit in Afghanistan behind the Taliban.
In his message to participants of the Mujahidin Victory Day function, the governor said he believed the the Hekmatyar-led HIA members would hand over their weapons to the government.
The peace deal would leave a positive impact on the security situation in HIA strongholds, he hoped, voicing his concern over reports that the government had distributed more arms to the party activists.
“We have heard the group is being equipped with new and advanced military equipment, something that would damage the peace process,” argued the governor, also executive director of Jamiat-i-Islami Afghanistan (JIA).
Meanwhile, the gathering was called symbolic by a number of people. Syed Mustafa, a former mujahid, told Pajhwok Afghan News the jihad was being used as a tool. “No one asks about the children of martyrs, Mujahidin who lost their hands and legs are confined to homes.”
He added that some individuals exploited their role in jihad to grab cushy jobs and other privileges. Some political experts also said the benefits of jihad had not been passed on to the common people.
mds/mud
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