Taliban's attempt to assassinate assadullah khalid, head of national directorate of security (nds) has raised many questions. Most of these questions appeared in national assembly's Saturday session. "If the [NDS] organization cannot secure itself [from such attacks], how can people expect anything from these security organizations?" a female MP from Kabul Nazifa Zaki asked.
Based on the latest report, Assadullah Khalid is transferred to Bagram Airbase but yet not clear whether he will be transferred to a foreign country or will be treated there. Right after the attack, Taliban claimed the responsibility. Zabihullah Mojaheed, the Taliban spokesman told that the attack as suicide and executed by person named Qari Hafiz Mohammad.
Though the suicide was not successful and could not take the life of Assadullah Khalid, but it can be deemed as great victory for Taliban regime. However the details of the incident have not been released but it is reported that the attack was similar to attack in which former President and Chief of High Peace Council, Mr. Burhanuddin Rabbani was targeted.
He assassinated by person who claimed to be an authorized representative of Quetta Shura. He had improvised explosive within his turban and detonated when he was shaking hands with Burhanuddin Rabbani. The incident dealt a major setback to peace process.
The Afghan government is trying to release Taliban prisoners and have been requesting the United Nations to remove names of certain Taliban leaders from its blacklist. But Taliban are responding by targeting high government officials and carrying out terror attacks around the country. And still the government is attempting to engage Taliban into talks through attractive offers. This point has simply perplexed not only the people, but also the parliamentarians.
The attacker came from Quetta city of Pakistan and that is where it was planned, President Karzai said while speaking to reporters at his palace. Also, the president denies that attack was carried out by a simple, illiterate Taliban fighter. "This is a very sophisticated and complicated act by a professional intelligence service," he said. "We will be seeking a lot of clarifications from Pakistan because we know that this man who came there in the name of a guest to meet with Assadullah Khalid came from Pakistan," Karzai said. "We know that for a fact."
Statements by Mr. Karzai reminds one of the stances he took when a Taliban suicide bomber killed Burhanuddin Rabbani, ex-Head of High Peace Council (HPC) in the same kind of tactic last year.
Then too Karzai had blamed Pakistan. Even he had said that his government would not negotiate peace with Taliban but with their supporter, the Pakistani government. Pakistani government has always denied such allegations.
And the game – blaming and counter blaming, as always, will continue for some time and then subside. Planner and executor of terror attacks will continue to remain free.
Why is it so that for a second time a suicide bomber posing as peace envoy reaches his target? NDS is one of the most sensitive organizations in the country and there are great expectations from this institution. It is necessary that this institution must maintain the strongest security measures for its leaders and at the same time try to guarantee the same for the people of Afghanistan.