Kabul protestors on Sunday slammed President Ashraf Ghani’s reforms polices and security promises and said these were simply tactics to mislead the public.
Protestors also reiterated calls to Ghani and his CEO Abdullah Abdullah to step down from the job.
They also called for the prosecution of national security advisor Mohammad Hanif Atmar, head of National Directorate of Security (NDS) Massoum Stanekzai and Interior Minister Taj Mohammad Jahid.
Protestors defied warnings by security institutions and said they will not end the protest unless their demands are met by government leaders.
Protestors have also warned they will not leave their protest area, outside the Emergency Hospital in downtown Kabul, until government meets their demands.
“We reached a conclusion that Mr. Ghani and Mr. Abdullah must step down from their job over inability, negligence and not bringing reforms,” said protest leadership council member Asar Hakimi.
The protest action was launched in Kabul following Wednesday’s deadly truck bombing which killed over 100 people and wounded hundreds more.
The protestors called on government to improve the security situation. But the rally turned violent when security forces opened fire on the protestors and killed five of them. Fifteen were also wounded.
On Saturday, three suicide bombers then targeted the funeral ceremony in Kabul of one of the rally victims. At least 20 people are believed to have been killed in this explosion.
CEO Abdullah Abdullah and acting foreign affairs minister Salahuddin Rabbani were also at the ceremony, but they were unharmed.
Ghani Pledges Systematic Reforms in Security Sector
“I accept that there are some deficiencies in the jobs of the officials, I accept that systematic reforms must be put in place in the security institutions and other organs and these reforms will be implemented in the near future,” Ghani said in address to the nation on Saturday.
Following the attack, the CEO and Ghani called on the protestors to table their demands through negotiations and both said the government is ready to negotiate with them.