Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Friday, March 29th, 2024

MPs Criticize US Pact for Regime Restriction

MPs Criticize US  Pact for Regime Restriction

KABUL – Members of Wolesi Jirga Saturday criticised a provision within the US-Afghan long-term agreement which does not allow Afghanistan to change its system of government.
The strategic pact, is valid until 2024, was broadly welcomed by both Afghan and international officials last week, seen as a major breakthrough for the future of Afghanistan after the NATO-led combat troops leave in 2014.

However, some officials have since said that the government system provision of the deal could very well take the Afghan people "into custody" for a decade if there are restrictions on changing the political system of government until 2024.
According to Afghan lawmakers, any kind change in system of the government should be in consultation with Afghan people and any deals restricting this should be seen as a clear intervention.
"The provision which says the government system may not change is against Afghanistan's laws," Badakhshan MP Fauzia Kofi said.

"Whether its a US congressman or the [strategic] deal talking about this, it's a clear political intervention in Afghanistan," she added.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai said in a press conference the day after signing the agreement with his American counterpart Barack Obama that the US will support the presidential regime in Afghanistan and any kind of call for a regime change is a clear intervention.

Other MPs raised concerns that the agreement refers to Islamic militant group Al-Qaeda as the enemy of Afghanistan but there was no mention about the Taliban or the Haqqani netowrk in this regard.
The Haqqani network is based in Pakistan's tribal region and has both claimed and been accused of launching high-profile attacks against Afghan and foreign troops and facilities.

"The Taliban have attacked Afghanistan for the last fifteen years and claimed them all but the deal has not mentioned their name which concerns the people," Baghlan MP Mahaiuddin Mahdi said Saturday.
"There are circles within the government trying to make a deal with Taliban."

The Afghan-US agreement was signed between Afghan president Hamid Karzai and his American counterpart Barack Obama last Wednesday in Kabul.
Some Afghan experts also called the agreement insufficient after a report came out from the Associated Press (AP).

Afghan analysts agreed with the findings of the AP report saying that the deal does not contain certain commitments from the US government and lacks guarantees to fully and accurately execute the provisions of the pact.
"The pact lacks proper legal terms. All the commitments are from Afghan side with encouragement from US government," Taher Hashimi, a foreign relations lecturer at Kabul University told Tolonews Thursday.
"There's no guarantee for the full implementation of the pact," he said. (Tolo News)