KABUL - Afghanistan National Front (ANF) leader, Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum, in a press statement on Wednesday, June 13, vehemently neglected the blames that he was responsible for creating hurdles in any sort of investment and work for unearthing the mineral resources in the North. He called them to be totally baseless.
General Dostum in a statement to The Daily Outlook Afghanistan emphasized, "China is a trustworthy friend of Afghanistan. It has made the largest investment in the mineral resources of the country.

I do not have any problem in that regard. However, I rightfully demand for the rights of the people of the Sar e Pul and Jawzjan, who have to be considered as a top priority as far as the selection of the workforce is concerned."
The statement added that ANF is committed to its stand for its basic objectives that demand for decentralization and devolution of power, parliamentary form of government and the appointment of the provincial governors through elections.

These objectives of the Front have made it come closer to the people and have made the opponents to react unlawfully. And the allegations are also the result of the same unlawful reactions.
"The allegations are totally baseless and do not stand on strong footings. They are a part of an ill-reputed campaign so as to pressurize the Afghan National Front," it said.

The statement further added that Gen. Dostum's accusation as a traitor by National Security Council is the proof of the fact that government officials in their political dealing does not follow any ethical standard and does not even hesitate to disfigure the political personalities of the nation. They have in fact made it their top agenda to follow such actions.

Gen. Dostum added in the statement, "As a part of Loya Jirga, I know it very well that the natural resources of the country belong to the nation and I have always tried to guard them as a 'trust' in the North. All the production facilities in the North; from gas extracting firms to the pipe lines; from oil wells of the Sar e Pul to the factories of electricity of Mazar e Sharif and to the factories of cement in Balkh and Baghlan, even a single item has not been wasted.

All these factories and facilities, even during the crisis in other parts of the country, did not stop their work under my authority. Therefore, I warmly welcome the investment in the extraction of oil from the Amu River, and hope that the work will be proceeded properly."

General Dostum also thanked President Hamid Karzai for rejecting the title of the 'traitor' and demanded an apology of those authorities in National Security Council who misuse the information without any analysis.