You have commented 338 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Afghanistan
From one Karzai to another Karzai?
2012-11-23
[Dawn] Among the many wild and woolly theories on the election doing the rounds of Kabul -- an example being the 'Putin model', whereby Karzai will elevate a pliable vice president to the presidency and run the administration from a lower position -- one name is consistently mentioned as a likely successor to Karzai: his elder brother, Qayyum Karzai.

"There is a lot of buzz in Kabul around the name of Qayyum Karzai," said Daud Sultanzai, a member of the Afghan parliament.

Sultanzai argued that while it was too early for Karzai to formally name a candidate, the president is keen to have someone from his camp succeed him as president.

Weighing in in the elder Karzai's favour is his position as President Karzai's confidant and canvasser for support, according to Ikram Shinwari, a veteran Kabul-based journalist. "Qayyum Karzai is the president's main lobbyist, meeting people in Afghanistan and abroad on the president's behalf and active in gathering support from tribal and business leaders," Shinwari said.

Yet, most analysts and politicians cautioned that it was too early to know if Qayyum Karzai would eventually get the nod to contest the presidential election, or even if he can win. According to Daud Sultanzai, the Afghan parliamentarian, other names in the presidential mix include Zalmay Khalilzad, the influential former US ambassador in Kabul; Ali Ahmad Jalali, a former interior minister; and Omar Daudzai, the Afghan ambassador in Islamabad who has previously served in Tehran.
Posted by:Fred

#2  Hi, I'm Hamid, this is my brother Qayyum, and this is my other cousin Vladimir...
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain   2012-11-23 17:14  

#1  Hamid Karzai isn't able to hold on without international Janissaries. What odds any of his relatives would be able to?
Posted by: trailing wife   2012-11-23 12:37  

00:00