Afghanistan’s Jamiat-e-Islami Party on Tuesday said the party will announce its next move regarding the presidential palace’s rejection of one of its demands, which was for the removal of Hanif Atmar as chief of the national security council.
The statement comes a day after acting foreign affairs minister Salahuddin Rabbani, who is also the leader of Jamiat-e-Islami party, said his party was calling for the immediate dismissal of all heads of security institutions in Afghanistan following a string of deadly attacks in Kabul.
Addressing a press conference on Monday, Rabbani said all heads of security branches including the National Security Advisor Haneef Atmar must be sacked along with General Taj Mohammad Jahid the minister of interior, National Directorate of Security chief Masoom Stanekzai and the acting defense minister Tariq Shah Bahrami.
Rabbani said Jamiat has three demands. Firstly, the firing of security heads, secondly a full investigation must be held into the recent attacks in Kabul and those involved must be prosecuted and thirdly Jamiat wants the National Unity Government agreement to be fully implemented.
But the presidential palace defied Jamiat’s demand to dismiss Atmar, saying Atmar had no executive powers and he has done his job honestly.
In a press release issued on Monday, the presidential palace said that considering the sensitive situation the country is facing, there is a need for the country’s political elite, elders and government officials to maintain consensus and unity of views to overcome the issues facing the country.
“In reference to the statements made by Salahuddin Rabbani at a press conference, it is important to mention that the post of national security advisor is not an executive post. The national security advisor is conducting his duty with complete honesty to his country and will do so.
“Prejudgments about the security officials are against official proceedings and it only causes concern, affects the focus of the security forces and causes anxiety for the people,” the statement read.
Jamiat’s spokesman meanwhile said that the party’s leadership is holding discussions among themselves following the refusal by ARG to dismiss Atmar. He said they will announce their next move soon.
“Jamiat-e-Islami Afghanistan will reassess the issue as it said before and it will announce its next decision later,” said Jamiat spokesman Waqif Hakimi.
“Jamiat’s integration council was not consulted about the ongoing discussions and the statement made yesterday,” said Ghulam Faroq Majroh, spokesman for the Jamiat integration council.
A Jamiat member on Tuesday said that Rabbani was asked not to attend the Kabul Process meeting at the request of party leaders.
In retaliation to Jamiat’s demand, the office of the national security advisor announced that the request was political.
“The demand tabled by Jamiat-e-Islami is a political demand and it has other aspects,” said NSC spokesman Qadir Shah.
Jamiat has also expressed optimism over CEO Abdullah Abdullah’s support of the party’s stance, saying the participation of Abdullah at the Kabul Process meeting was not a problem for them.
“We believe that Abdullah Abdullah in a way will support our stance, because Jamiat has taken the decision from the address of the national unity government,” added Hakimi.
In addition, a Jamiat member, Noor Rahman Akhlaqi, said on his Facebook page that Rabbani did not attend the Kabul meeting at the request of party members and leaders.
“The leadership council of Jamiat decided that its chief (Rabbani) should not attend the Kabul Process meeting, because they (Jamiat leaders) thought that it will not be appropriate for him to sit with those who plotted recent attacks, those whose hands are colored with the blood of the people and who wanted to assassinate Jamiat leaders collectively (during Saturday’s funeral bombings),” Akhlaqi wrote.