Afghanistan Diary
PESHAWAR: Two factions of the Hezb-i-Islami, the Gulbaddin Hekmatyar-led party of the Afghan mujahideen that fought against the Soviet occupying troops, have become involved in verbal sparring as to who is qualified to represent the party.
One faction is headed by Humayun Jarir, who sent a two-member delegation comprising Muhammad Amin Karim and Attiqullah Safi, to Kabul a few days ago to hold peace talks with the Afghan High Peace Council head Pir Syed Ahmad Gilani and his aides. They were immediately disowned by the mainstream Hezb-i-Islami faction led by Hekmatyar, which clarified that Humayun Jarir cannot represent the party and had a vested interest in creating hurdles in the past also for the party’s peace and reconciliation efforts.
The Hezb-i-Islami made it clear that its political committee head Dr Ghairat Baheer, who is Hekmatyar’s son-in-law, and Qazi Mohammad Hakim would represent the party in the peace talks being held under the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) process brokered by Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the US.
It may be added that Humayun Jarir, who is son-in-law of Hekmatyar’s late brother and belongs to Panjsher province, has always remained estranged with Hekmatyar. He is presently living in Iran and for a while was backed by Tehran for arranging Afghan reconciliation conferences in different places, mostly in Cyprus. Sometime ago President Ashraf Ghani appointed him as his adviser, though this position doesn’t mean much because the President and his two deputies and CEO Dr Abdullah and his two deputies have scores of advisers.
Demand for transparent peace talks with Taliban
Though peace talks with the Taliban haven’t started yet, a prominent member of CEO Dr Abdullah’s camp has demanded that the government should inform the nation about the negotiations being held behind closed doors. Balkh province Governor Atta Mohammad Noor, who is affiliated to the Jamiat-i-Islami party with which Dr Abdullah is also associated, said in a speech in Mazar-i-Sharif that the Afghan people were hoping there would be peace, but they ought to be informed about the peace talks.
The Governor was speaking to a huge gathering at the Sakhi Sahib, which Afghans believe is the grave of the Caliph Ali, to herald the advent of spring and the new solar year, Nauroz. CEO Dr Abdullah also attended the ceremony and hoisted a huge flag to mark the traditional start of the Nauroz festival. Foreign ministers of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, ambassadors of several countries and senior Afghan government officials attended the ceremony.
Governor Atta Mohammad Noor’s demand was meaningful because the Jamiat-i-Islami has been complaining that President Ashraf Ghani hasn’t given any importance to its proposals regarding the peace talks with the armed opposition. The party leaders believe President Ghani is keeping secrets from them. The issue of peace talks with Taliban is an emotional issue in Afghanistan as many Afghans, particularly the non-Pashtuns, don’t want to give too much space to the Taliban. Many are also concerned about the role of Pakistan in the Afghan peace process.
Nauroz and controversy
The festival of Nauroz, the Persian or Parsi or Central Asian New Year celebrated at the start of the new solar year, has increasingly become controversial in Afghanistan as many clerics have spoken against celebrating it on religious grounds. They believe it is un-Islamic as it is associated with non-Muslims, including the Parsis and Zoroastrians. The clerics also object to the kind of celebrations and revelry that has become part of the Nauroz, which is celebrated at the advent of spring. The rising insecurity and high cost of living have also prompted many Afghans not to celebrate Nauroz the way it was done in the past. For some poor Afghans, celebrating Nauroz has become an economic burden that they cannot afford.
Nauroz is a public holiday in Afghanistan and functions are held all over the country, special dishes are cooked and people go out on picnics as part of the celebrations. The biggest event is held at the Sakhi Sahib shrine in Mazar-i-Sharif, capital of Balkh province in northern Afghanistan where a giant flag is hoisted amid festivities. Strict security measures were made for the occasion this year due to threat of attacks on the event in Mazar-i-Sharif where CEO Dr Abdullah was the chief guest and dignitaries from neighbouring countries were specially invited.
However, the Nauroz celebrations have become subdued in recent years due to insecurity and financial difficulties faced by the people. Another major reason for the diminished enthusiasm among the Afghans to celebrate Nauroz is the stand taken by many clerics, who have been preaching that the festival is un-Islamic.
