MAIMANA - First Vice-President Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum on Monday lashed out at President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, saying the two leaders remained rivals despite a 50\50 power sharing in the government while his part was missing.
Dostum expressed these views late on Sunday in northwestern Faryab province after wrapping up a clearing offensive against insurgents in Dawlatabad district. He complained the president and the CEO did not materialise pledges they had made with him.
Dostum, who was unhappy with President Ghani’s two years of rule, had earlier stated that one leader should lead the government another stay in opposition.
Leader of his own faction, Junbish-i-Milli Islami party, the VP said there was no coordination among security forces and the two main security institutions --- the Defence Ministry and Interior Ministry --- were split by the 50\50 power sharing deal.
“My role and place is not visible in the current government formation. I came with vote and have a mandate. We have diplomatic relations with 174 countries, at least my people should be appointed in 10 embassies and the deputy ministerial posts of defence and interior
“The government was trying to defame me and repeated the mistakes made by previous governments. Whatever Allah blessed me with, nobody could took it away from me,” said Dostum.
He lamented most rural parts of the country were being administered by Pakistan and the current Afghan government was involved political wrangling.
He said the ‘fifth column’ and individuals and circles afraid of fighting and facing the Taliban in the battle-field were conspiring against him and accusing him of spreading ethnic war in the northern part of the country.
The first vice-president said he was born in the north, raised in the north and promoted to power with public vote, so he could not remain silent when the people of the north suffered from cruelty of Taliban and Daesh.
He said the doors of peace talks were open for Afghan Taliban but puppets and ISI contractors would be expelled from the country and would be chased until the border.
He said during the just concluded offensive, Taliban’s shadow district chief Mullah Mer Dad and tens of others were killed and several others arrested and their weapons captured.(Pajhwok)