Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the leader of Hizb-e-Islami, on Sunday strongly criticized what he described as “independent islands of power” in the country, saying this situation has to end.

“Today, there are sovereign islands of power in the country. Everyone who has made their way to the ministries and departments has established a sovereign island of power of their own. This trend must come to an end,” Hekmatyar told supporters in Khost province on Sunday.

According to Hekmatyar the practice has diminished opportunities for some other ethnicities and has caused a gap between them and the government.

He also called on the Afghan political parties to participate in the elections and confirm their share in the government through the ballots.

Hekmatyar insisted that the next elections in the country must be transparent and fair, adding that certain circles in the country do not want the elections to be held on time.

“Elections must be held on time and be transparent. Some circles fear the elections because they do not have the confidence of the people. Such people have taken on their positions by using their power, so they don’t want the elections to be held,” said Hekmatyar.

He also opposed any possible change in the structure of the Independent Election Commission (IEC), saying such a move would lead to the delay of the elections.

“Our demand is that there should not be changed in the structure of the electoral commission. We will not allow them to delay the elections,” he said.

Hekmatyar called on the government to ensure the participation of Afghan refugees abroad in the elections, including those living in the insecure regions of the country.

He also touched on the deprivations of the Zadran tribe. The suffering of the tribe is because Jalaluddin Haqqani, the founder of Haqqani network, is a member of the Zadran tribe and is fighting against the US.