KABUL - Afghans on Saturday slammed President Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, the head of High Council for National Reconciliation, for delaying the appointments to the cabinet and for failing to fill the seats in the peace council.
This comes amid expectations for the first round of direct talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in Doha, Qatar to begin in the next few days. But the membership of the High Council of National Reconciliation still remains incomplete.
Politicians have asked Ghani and Abdullah to sideline their political differences and work for peace.
“This indicates a major weakness of the government. This is not the first time that the High Council of National Reconciliation has failed to appoint its members on time,” said Frozan Rasouli, the chairperson of Equality for Peace and Democracy.
On May 17, President Ashraf Ghani and his political rival Abdullah Abdullah signed a power-sharing deal after months of political discord that critics say could have pushed the country towards a new crisis if not resolved.
The political tension emerged as a consequence of the disputed presidential election of last year, the result of which was announced in February. As a result, the two leaders, Ghani and Abdullah, held inauguration ceremonies on the same day in their adjacent respective palaces. Ghani was declared president by the Independent Election Commission after earning a slightly higher percentage than his rival Abdullah.
Public reactions:
“The nation has become tired of these two leaders, the nation has suffered a lot, these two leaders are engaging in political brawls,” said Qurban, a resident in Kabul.
“They should sideline their political and party interests and think about the country,” said Abdul Wase, a resident in Kabul.
“They should think about serving the nation and the country, they should prefer serving the country instead of serving their personal agendas,” said Fahim, a resident in Kabul.
But the Presidential Palace has said that members of the cabinet should have strong political support.
“The individuals who are supposed to be included in the cabinet must have a strong commitment to serve the people and they should have the political weight,” said Durani Waziri, a spokeswoman for President Ashraf Ghani.
“Members for the leadership council of the High Council for National Reconciliation have been finalized following series of discussions and consultations with various layers of the society,” said Faraidoon Khawzon, a spokesman to Abdullah Abdullah. (TOLO NEWS)