Gulbaddin Hekmatyar, head of Hezb-e Islami political-cum-extremist party has called upon supporters his party to use their votes in the next elections which is due to be held on April 5th. “Convey to Hizb-e Islami members to take part in the provincial council election and support those candidates who are either related to us or have a positive view about the party,” Hekmatyar said in a letter which was obtained by a Pakistani newspaper recently. Interestingly, the call comes from a party that is more known for its militancy than politics. It is the second largest militant network operating in Afghanistan after the Taliban. Hezb-e Islami has been involved in a number of bloody terror attacks in Afghanistan that have cost lives of scores of foreign and national troops and civilians. It has also strongly opposed foreign presence in the country.

President Karzai had previously called upon militant groups including Taliban and Hezb-e Islami to nominate their candidates for the upcoming presidential and provincial council elections. Certain circles have welcomed this new instance of Hekmatyar and have said the efforts of Karzai administration in nudging the insurgents into a normal life are bearing fruit. However, this dark side the very instance of Hekmatyar seems to be heavier than its bright side.

The fact that the leadership of a militant group that has no history of supporting any kind of democratic process decides to encourage its supporters towards elections indicates that in the future politics of Afghanistan, the current terror groups – the Taliban and Hezbi-e Islami – might be given significant roles. Already the Afghan government has kept a very soft instance towards Taliban, releasing their prisoners, advocating for their realization as a political party and rewarding them under various programs. It is feared that they may be given power in certain provinces and even in center under the so-called peace process.

If parties such as that Hekmatyar’s gains significant power, it will pose serious threats to integrity of Afghanistan as a nation and its security. In a former letter that became public last year in August Hekmatyar had threatened to exterminate the Hazaras. A part of his letter read as: “The time will come when the oppressed people of Afghanistan will stand for taking their usurped rights and then the [Hazaras] will have no safe havens in any corner of the country. Some of them will escape to Iran where too they will be treated cruelly and barbarically.”