Protest to persist till govt resignation, says HIA

KABUL (Pajhwok): Supporters of the Gulbadin Hekmatyar-led Hezb-i-Islami Afghanistan (HIA) on Friday demanded the resignation of the Ghani administration.

The demonstrators warned their protests would continue as long as their demands were not met by the by the Ashraf Ghani demonstration..

In a resolution issued at the end of the demonstration in front of Habibia High School, the protestors said: “The people of Afghanistan are fed up with the current situation, the corrupt government of Ashraf Ghani and tyranny of the Presidential Palace.”

The resolution claimed: “The masses want a change in the system, an all-encompassing system that is not linked to foreigners and is representative of national and Islamic values.”

It added: “While peace is a vital need of our afflicted people, rulers at the Palace are the only obstacle to peace. Insecurity, the killing of defenseless people, scholars, civil and political activists, jihadi figures and scholars are tied to to the corrupt regime.”

The resolution said poverty and unemployment had increased in the country, but the corrupt rulers had been unable to take any steps to deal with the twin challenges.

The government itself was the cause of poverty, the HIA alleged, saying corrupt circles in the Presidential Palace were stealing the national wealth and smuggling it abroad.

For the above reasons, the party said, it was demanding the government’s resignation. HIA said it would not give up its civil right until its legitimate demands were met.

Earlier in the day, thousands of HIA backers took to the streets in Kabul, denouncing the government’s failure to honour its commitments.

The massive protest came a day after Hekmatyar hit out at the government for failing to meet the party’s demands, including the release of HIA prisoners.

The HIA also demanded the integration of its members in the Afghan security forces and an end to the government’s resistance to the peace process.

The demonstrators, who gathered in the Dar-ul-Aman neighbourhood of Kabul, marched to the Deh Mazang Square. They asked the government to step down and put an end to targeted killings in the country.

While calling for the release of HIA prisoners, the protestors asked the rulers to make efforts for a just and lasting peace in Afghanistan.

On Thursday, Hekmatyar told journalists HIA demonstrations would continue until the current government was replaced by an interim administration.

He warned demonstrations would commence soon in other provinces as well. He demanded the formation of a new government that was acceptable to all.

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