Govt, rally organizers held responsible for Kabul bloodshed

KABUL (Pajhwok): Some Facebook users have demanded investigation into the deadliest attack on a peaceful rally in capital Kabul on Saturday and asked the government and the rally organisers to accept responsibility for the carnage.

Fez Azemi, a Facebook user, wrote: “Junbesh-i-Roshnae, the movement which organised and led the rally, has caused this catastrophe. Where were the leaders of the movement at the time of the bombing?”

He said threats had been already there and police had warned against a possible attack. He asked the government how the suicide bombers were able to approach the rally when strict security measures were in place as most of the roads were blocked and traffic movement halted in the city.

Babarullah Samadi said: “The participants and organizers of the rally are responsible for the massacre because the government had already issued a warning and has also resolved most of the differences over the (power line) issue for which they took to the streets.”

He asked the government to arrest the rally organizers and leaders and punish them for ignoring the warning.

Naveed Ahmad Barakzai, another social media user, blamed the protest organizers for the tragedy. He wrote: “When security officials can’t protect themselves behind concrete walls and people know it then how can a huge crowd be protected in an open area?”

Khalil Raufi, a civil society activist, wrote: “I don’t know when our nation will be freed from slave rulers and when human blood in our country will earn value.”

He lamented the government of Afghanistan could do nothing expect announcing a day of mourning and denouncing such attacks.

Daud Hakimi, a Facebook user, held the government and the rally organizers equally responsible. He wrote the government was responsible for the bloodshed and it should have prevented the catastrophe.

At least 80 people were killed and 231 others wounded as twin explosions ripped through a mammoth rally staged by the Hazara minority in Kabul on Saturday, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) said.

nh/ma