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

Our Electoral Ticket to be Formed Soon: Hekmatyar

Our Electoral Ticket to be  Formed Soon: Hekmatyar

KABUL - Hezb-i-Islami Afghanistan leader Gulbadin Hekmatyar on Thursday said his party had reached agreement with 27 other political parties on throwing their weight behind a consensus presidential candidate.
Addressing a press conference here, the HIA leader said members of their electoral ticket would be announced soon.
He said discussions were ongoing on formation of electoral tickets between political parties, the presidential palace and the chief executive office, but no one had so far formally announced their decision.
Hekmatyar said his party had shared views with 25 political parties, including the Jamiat-i-Islami, on the presidential election, but the Jamiat had a different view.
He said President Ashraf Ghani was intended to seek his reelection with Sarwar Danish, Abdullah Abdullah, Mohammad Younas Qonuni and Zarar Ahmad Muqbil in his electoral ticket, but this ticket was a failure.
Hekmatyar said the previous presidential election triggered tribal differences in the country and no one would vote for Ghani and Abdullah this time.
He suggested that a person who was acceptable to all the Afghans and one who enjoyed good relations with regional countries should be chosen as a presidential candidate.
Hekmatyar opposed the idea of establishing an interim government to pave the ground for a peace agreement with the Taliban, saying those insisting on such a set up wanted to retest their luck, but it would not be allowed.
He said the proposal of an interim government had come from those who lacked public support.
He said if the incumbent government had the intention to rig the presidential election, in such a case an interim government should be established to prevent possible rigging. He said the interim set up should be acceptable to all political parties. (Pajhwok)