Talking to a large number of people who gathered to remember jihadi leader and politician Sayed Hussain Anwari on his first death anniversary, Ahmad Wali Massoud, head of Massoud Foundation, said ethnic and linguistic divisions have deepened in the country in the past few months.

He said the divisions were harmful for the country if not prevented.

“Divisions have deepened in recent months. Unfortunately, there are some people who fuel ethnic, linguistic and religious divisions,” Massoud said.

 He pointed out to recent political tensions in the country and said a number of political groups “are trying to take Afghanistan back to the past”.

“Inside Afghanistan there are forces that are always trying to take Afghanistan back to the past, restore the old relations (among different groups in the country),” he added.

President Ashraf Ghani and CEO Abdullah Abdullah sent their messages on the occasion where they appreciated Anwari’s activities.

“General Anwari was a brave leader a good manager during different periods,” Ghani’s advisor Sher Mohammad Bahadur said.

“In the post-Taliban period and in the formation of the interim, transitional and elected governments, late Anwari played a key role in the country's administrative system,” said Sayed Aqa Husain Fazel Sancharaki, deputy minister of information and culture for publications.

Some participants of the ceremony urged the nation and politicians to stay united.

“We should defend our soil and every one of us must see each other as their brothers and sisters. This is the only way for us to win,” the economy minister Abdul Sattar Murad said.

Anwari was an influential political and jihadi figure. He was head of Islamic Movement of Afghanistan. He died due to an illness last year.