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Afghan royalists form movement to restore monarchy
Supporters of former king Mohammad Zahir Shah announced the formation of a movement to press for the restoration of the Afghan monarchy on Saturday, hours after their 88-year-old champion returned from medical treatment abroad.
| He's 88 years old. I don't imagine he'd last too terribly long, assuming he's still coherent. On the other hand, I'm sure there will be somebody waiting to take over as soon as he departs this vale of tears... |
The âNational Unity Movementâ, led by one of Shahâs cousins, Sultan Mahmoud Ghazi, invited other royalists to join it. âApart from forming the movement today, participants also asked for the return of the constitutional monarchy,â Hakim Noorzaye, deputy head of the newly formed group, told reporters. âBut we want a democratic system without imposing our wish on people. We call on the government to launch a referendum and to let people decide what sort of government they want.â
| Actually, the monarchy would probably be the best course for Afghanistan, no matter how hard Hek and his boyz tried to screw it up. |
In announcing the new movement, Noorzaye also resigned from his post as deputy head of intelligence in the government of US-backed President Hamid Karzai. He criticised the administration as âa tool of warlordsâ and charged that a commission it appointed had already opted for a presidential system in new constitution being secretly drafted. The constitution is supposed to be put to a Loya Jirga, for approval in October to allow for general elections to be held next June.
| The fix is in, huh? Wotta surprise. |
The nine founding members are either close relatives of Zahir Shah, like his sons Mirwais Zahir and Mustafa Zahir, or those who served the monarch during his 40-year rule. One, Professor Rasoul Amin, said about 1,800 supporters of the ex-king had come to Kabul from all over Afghanistan for the launch of the movement. The restoration call came just hours after the frail former king, twice-rumoured to have died in July, arrived in Kabul from France, where he had been recovering from a broken leg. It is the strongest call yet since he returned to Afghanistan last year after nearly three decades in exile that followed his overthrow by a cousin in a bloodless 1973 coup. Seen as a symbol of unity in a highly fractious country, Zahir Shah was given the title âFather of the Nationâ by Karzai last year, but aides have said he would accept a leadership role if chosen in next yearâs polls.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2003-08-10 |
