Beaten by men dressed as Taliban: Ex-governor

KABUL (Pajhwok): Former Khost governor Hukam Khan Habibi claims Haji Gulan’s men, posing as Taliban, kidnapped and injured him.

On the other hand, Gulan’s son acknowledged kidnaping Habibi but said that they were not robbers and had no links with the Taliban.

In an exclusive interview with Pajhwok Afghan News, Habibi alleged some people abducted him from Ahmad Shah Baba Mena on Thursday when left a mosque in the Saleem Karwan area of Kabul.

He said the men, numbering six to seven, arrived in the town in a Corolla car and a police pick-up.

The men, who could not be identified, had white flags on their vehicles and were dressed as Taliban, the former governor said.

“I asked them who they were. They replied they came from the 12^th police district of Kabul, I asked them to give me a chance to contact the district office

“But they didn’t let me speak and started beating me with gun butts and threatening me with death. They tossed me into the car and drove to the prison in a slighting way.

“They initially told me that I, having served as a governor, had weapons and a vehicle, I said if I have anything, I will not give it to you illegally,” he added.

Their behaviour suggested the men, getting physical all too frequently, were kidnappers, Habibi said.”

According to him, the kidnappers tried to assassinate him, but residents informed the authorities in time. The roads were closed and the kidnappers took him to jail half an hour later.

“A day after the incident, Mirwais Afghan, Haji Gulan’s son living in Butkhak, claimed responsibility for the kidnapping in a voice message,” he said.

Afghan explained he was neither a Talib nor a kidnapper. “It raises two questions: first, if you are not a Talib, how can you commit such a heinous act y using Taliban’s uniform, car and logo” Habibi asked.

And if the person was a member of the Taliban movement, how he could harass him in the evening without documents, the ex-governor queried.

Pajhwok has obtained Mirwais Afghan’s voice message, in which he said: “We have an issue with Hukam Khan Habibi. It does not pertain to the government or Emirate, but to the Ahamdzais.”

“About 10 days ago, we had a dispute with the school principal in Saleem Karwan area. Habib slammed our Haji sahib. We have filed a complaint against him but the issue was not addressed. At last, we took revenge.” Afghan added.

Habib thanked the Taliban for taking timely action, saying there were some unwanted elements in Taliban.

The leadership of the Islamic Emirate should remove undesirable individuals n its ranks, because this created a gap between the people and the government, he suggested.

Reason behind the incident

Habib said the main reason for the incident was the existence of a school in the town, which had been sold several times but was still functioning there.

He continued several meetings had taken place between the town council and the school to resolve the issue.

The former governor said a brawl happened at a council meeting and some people blamed it on him.

“Gulan, not invited to the jirga, came along with Haji Alma Gul Kochi. Koch was relatively shrews and threw snow from his roof at Gulran. That’s why he tried to assassinate me,” he explained.

Habibi warned if the government did not make a quick and fair decision, his tribe and area residents would “act on their own”. Some people would be forced to leave the town and even the country,  he added.

This news agency obtained footage of security camera that recorded the scenes. It showed a pick-up with a white flag entering Saleem Karwan area and then rushing back.

Pajhwok shared the issue with Qari Asim, head of the 12^th police district, via WhatsApp. But he did not respond.

sa/mud

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