Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Friday, March 29th, 2024

Karzai Intends to Bring Down NUG

Karzai Intends to Bring Down NUG

KABUL - The former Afghan President Hamid Karzai intends to bring down the National Unity Government (NUG) led by President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, a senior Western diplomat quoted in report by Guardian said adding that Karzai has been trying for months to undercut Ghani’s government, with the intention of bringing it down.

The diplomat whose identity was not disclosed in the report further added that an interim government would likely take over should Karzai succeeds to bring down President Ghani’s government.

Karzai would step forward to fill the vacuum as the self-styled father of the nation, the diplomat said, adding that President Ghani is aware of Karzai’s intentions but is keen to avoid an open clash he might not win and tolerated the former president’s maneuvers to a certain extent in the past.

“In the political game, Karzai is leagues ahead of almost everyone else here. Frankly, he is leagues ahead of us too. It just took us a while to figure it out,” the source added.

In the meantime, the Aimal Faizi, Karzai’s spokesman denied the former president is building opposition and said “Meeting tribal leaders and elders from around the country is nothing new for Mr Karzai. This is how it used to be during the last 14 years.”

Faizi further added “It is the Afghan political culture and also his personal style. The strong bond between President Karzai and Afghan elders and leaders from all around the country can not be ignored by either side.”

According to Guardian, Karzai’s influence and interventions are increasingly seen as a threat to Afghanistan’s political stability by curtailing the erratic behaviour that so irritated his international partners during his near-decade long rule, casting himself as a genial statesman and supposed unifier of the country.

The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Afghan and Pakistani spy agencies led to a conflict between Ghani and Karzai which gave a platform to the former president to launch an attack on Ghani that chimed with public opinion, the paper said, adding that many Afghans saw the deal as selling out to a sworn enemy and as a result Karzai come to be seen by many as a protector of national sovereignty.

Karzai has also been busy travelling to countries uncomfortable with closer Afghan-Pakistani cooperation such as India, China and Russia, in a bid to reinforce this image.

In the meantime, a political analyst Haroon Mir told the Guardian that the infighting could have a wider repercussions, pointing out that Ghani needs wide political support to begin peace talks with the Taliban.

“It’s not good at this time to lose political support or create opportunities for political opposition to emerge,” he added.

Karzai “is the only known political leader of Afghanistan”, Mir said, adding that “He has all the ingredients to be a national leader – many resources, political support, his own network of influential people. If there is a crisis, he will emerge as the only national leader.” (KP)