[A variety of political figures and observers reacted skeptically to the news, suggesting that the ethnic minority leaders, all of whom have had differences with Ghani while in office, may be less interested in government reforms than in using a period of public anger and unhappiness to press for political advantage. They also noted that Ghani, an ethnic Pashtun, has been criticized for concentrating power in the hands of his ethnic and tribal allies and marginalizing other ethnic groups.]
By Pamela Constable
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An
Afghan boy rides a bicycle as he looks at murals on blast walls in downtown
Kabul,
Afghanistan, on Wednesday. (Jawad Jalali/EPA)
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KABUL
— Leaders of Afghanistan’s
three major ethnic minority political parties, all of whom hold senior positions
in the government, announced from Turkey Saturday that they have formed a
coalition to save Afghanistan from chaos, issued a list of demands for reforms
by President Ashraf Ghani, and vowed to hold mass protests unless they are met.
The stunning development followed weeks of
gathering political turmoil and public unrest after a devastating terrorist
bombing in the capital on May 31. It brought together a group of powerful
ex-militia leaders, once rivals in a civil war, in an extraordinary alliance
that could present Ghani and his shaky government with its most serious
challenge since taking office in 2014.
The group’s statement was issued from Ankara,
where Abdurrashid Dostom, an ethnic Uzbek strongman who is still technically
first vice president in the Ghani government, moved recently on grounds of ill
health despite being under investigation in Kabul for sexual assault against an
elderly political rival. Dostom’s aides circulated the statement on social
media.
The other leaders — Mohammed Atta Noor, an
ethnic Tajik and provincial governor; Mohammed Mohaqeq, an ethnic Hazara leader
and deputy to the government’s chief executive; and Foreign Minister Salahuddin
Rabbani, a member of Noor’s Jamaat-e-Islami party — have been visiting Dostom
in the past week for a family wedding in the lavish home where he has often
lived in periods of exile.
[The West is indifferent to Afghanistan and
Iraq’s world of terror]
The group, calling itself the Coalition for
the Salvation of Afghanistan, said their aim was to “prevent the collapse of
the government, avoid chaos and restore public trust.” They demanded that Ghani
devolve power to cabinet ministries and provinces, stop “overreaching” his
authority for personal motives, schedule long-promised elections, and obey the
constitution and the law. It also called for Dostom’s full authority to be
restored and a government attack against him to be investigated.
Ghani’s office responded coolly and calmly to
the provocative salvo. Presidential spokesman Shahhussain Murtazawi told news
outlets that the government “welcomes any move” that contributes to national
interests, but he noted that the individuals leading the coalition are
“involved in the government” and thus also “accountable for its shortcomings.”
If the group has “any alternative plans for overcoming the current situation,”
he said, “they should share them.”
There was no comment from the office of
Abdullah Abdullah, the chief executive officer who has been estranged from
Ghani for many months. Abdullah, from the Jamaat-e-Islami party, has
disappointed party figures such as Noor for making too many concessions to
Ghani in an effort to keep the struggling government afloat.
A variety of political figures and observers
reacted skeptically to the news, suggesting that the ethnic minority leaders,
all of whom have had differences with Ghani while in office, may be less
interested in government reforms than in using a period of public anger and
unhappiness to press for political advantage. They also noted that Ghani, an
ethnic Pashtun, has been criticized for concentrating power in the hands of his
ethnic and tribal allies and marginalizing other ethnic groups.
A spokesman for Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the
Pashtun former fugitive warlord who returned to Kabul recently in a peace deal
with Ghani, said the new coalition seemed “suspicious” and might be more
interested in “personal demands” than public ones. “Why have they been silent
for so long?” asked the spokesman, Kareem Amin. “You can’t be inside the system
and criticize it too. “
Hekmatyar, in a separate statement Saturday,
called on all Afghans to unite and support the Ghani government at a time of
crisis. The country is suffering from high unemployment and a protracted
insurgent conflict. The May 31 bombing was a major blow to the nation’s
confidence in its rulers.
It was unclear whether the ethnic opposition
leaders, who have called for city-wide demonstrations starting Monday, would be
able to draw much support from the protesters that filled the streets of Kabul
for most of June after the huge bombing and several subsequent violent
incidents.
[In Kabul, anger against Afghan government
touches off deadly street clashes]
The groups erected tent colonies on major
streets where speakers demanded change night after night. The tents were
dismantled by security forces on June 20, but protest groups vowed to return to
the streets in force after Ramadan and Eid, the Muslim fasting month and
holiday that ended this week.
But although many of the protesters’ demands
were similar to those listed by the ethnic leaders, the composition and tone of
their impromptu movement, called “Uprising for Change,” was completely
different. A mix of students, academics, liberal activists and women’s groups,
as well as families of bomb victims, they called mainly for justice, security
and more responsive governance.
The most strident voice in the new coalition
has been that of Noor, a wealthy northern governor who until recently was
negotiating with Ghani to obtain a greater share of power. During the
fraud-plagued 2014 elections, which both Abdullah and Ghani claimed to have
won, Noor threatened to create violent unrest if Ghani was declared the winner.
Last week, delivering a message to a large
crowd at the end of Ramadan in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif, Noor warned
that if Ghani did not meet the group’s demands, “we will come by the thousands
and thousands to Kabul.” Sources in the security community said the group
planned to gather its forces in several suburban locations and march to the
presidential palace.
Walid Sharif contributed to this report.