IEA needs to overcome economic crisis, expand foreign relations: Amin Karim

KABUL (Pajhwok): Renowned Politician Mohammad Amin Karim has called improved nationwide security a huge achievement in the past three years of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) rule but termed the absence of government legitimacy, constitution and economic problems massive existing challenges.

He said partial issues of insecurity existed in the country, but there is overall peace and stability which is considered to be a massive achievement because it was for the first time that after 45 years every individual could travel to every part of the country they wish.

Pajhwok Afghan News Reporter Abdullah Azizi sat with Mohammad Amin Karim and asked some questions about the past three years of the IEA government’s performance.

These topics included how IEA played on domestic and foreign policy, what opportunities and challenges existed as well as the issue of government legitimacy and the future of Afghanistan.

He said: “The end of the occupation, conflict, eradication of islands of power were all the achievements this government could be credited for, but the absence of domestic and international legitimacy and economic crisis were some of the challenges this government was faced with.”

He claimed if the international community and the US support stopped, the situation in Afghanistan would be catastrophic.

Mohammad Amin Karim said that internal and external factors engulfed the issue of the IEA government’s non-recognition.

He said there were four clauses in the Doha Agreement, one of the clauses was aimed at creating a new Islamic system through intra-Afghan negotiations, this clause of the contract has remained suspended until now, which was one of the conditions for establishing a government after the republic, another reason is the internal situation of the country.

Curbs on women’s rights and the restrictions placed on women, not giving girls the right to study and work, and strict policies regarding freedom of expression, although there is still relative freedom in expressing opinions compared to neighboring countries, but the perception of the world community is that these freedoms are getting narrower and more limited every day.

He said: “As far as I know, the majority of the elders of IEA, who are present in Kabul, not only agree with the education and work of women and the restoration of women’s rights based on Islamic Sharia, but they are strongly in favor of it, but a powerful but small group use Islam as a political tool either based on their jurisprudential understandings or to bargain with the international community.”

Referring to the reopening of girls’ schools and universities he said: “It was a suppression the victims of which are half of the society.”

Referring to the formula of inclusive government, he said the definition of inclusive government remained ambiguous, if the definition of inclusive government is that the figures of the previous system join again, neither the nation will accept this, nor is there an example in contemporary history, but if the meaning of inclusive government is that the nation considers itself included in the system than this was a reasonable demand not only from the world but also from all the people of Afghanistan.

One of the most important and fundamental things was that Afghanistan would have a constitution written by the people and representatives elected by the people of Afghanistan.

He added: “It is not understandable that a caretaker system lasted for three years, caretaker systems are tasked for one, two weeks, and finally three months are common in the world, but it is not logical that a caretaker government run for three years and on and this was one of the reasons we faced internal and external problems.”

At the same time, he said, one of the obstacles that the foreign countries, especially the private sector, have not made necessary investments in the country until now was that they consider the current system lacked legal authority because it is a caretaker system, this is a big problem for which the Islamic Emirate can find a solution

Referring to the importance of political parties in the country, he said: “Allah (SWT) created human free, freedom of speech is one of our religious beliefs. There is no reluctance or coercion in religion. A person is free to have an opinion and express it. At the beginning of Islam, there were intellectual and ideological parties, but there was never any opposition to political ideas and communities.”

He emphasized that the freedom of parties, the difference of thoughts and views, is the richness of Islam and the condition for the cultural and economic development of societies.

He said the current system fought with most of the terrorist groups. “The main problem is with Daesh against which the current system is fighting with full force even that the US expressed satisfaction over the current government fight against Daesh, the second issue is with TTP and the current government also strived to find solution for this issue.”

Referring to the opportunities through which the IEA help improve situation in the country, he said in the trilateral accord between the Afghan nation, the international community and the Tehreek-e-Taliban, there is no conflict of interests and demands, the international community has three specific and main demands; Fighting against what they call terrorism, creating an inclusive system and restoring women’s rights, the Taliban have three or four main demands; Recognition, removal from blacklists, release of Afghanistan’s financial resources and increase in economic aid.

Mohammad Amin Karim said: “Our nation has a request which is the identification of individual’s status, duty and responsibility in a constitutional framework and this should be done under the supervision of the UN, the Taliban and international community in the ongoing Doha process meetings, the people of Afghanistan should write the constitution and include human rights, women’s rights and international demands, the world will recognize the current system, Afghanistan’s frozen money should be freed, and the blacklist should be removed, this is what the people of Afghanistan want, the current system and the world will come together and we will reach a logical and fair solution.”

At the end of the interview, he hoped that the current regime would pay attention to the economic problems faced by the people and IEA would expand its relationship with the world.

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