Addressing an event on Friday, the Hizb-e-Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar said government and a number of embassies of foreign countries in Kabul are trying to engineer the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Hekmatyar made the remarks in a meeting of the heads of political parties, movements and members of parliament who came together under a new movement known as the Grand Assembly of National Unity.

Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah addressed world leaders at the 17th Shanghai Cooperation Organizations (SCO) summit in Tajikistan on Friday where he stressed the need for a joint effort against terrorism by countries in the region.

Abdullah said terrorism is one of the main challenges for the country adding that Afghanistan pays the highest price of the war as it is on the first line of the battle.