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| Afghanistan |
| Presidential Candidate Ahadi Against Karzai's Loya Jirga |
| 2013-10-15 |
[Tolo News] Anwar-ul-Haq Ahadi, former Minister of Trade and a registered candidate for the spring Presidential elections, has criticized President Hamid Maybe I'll join the TalibanKarzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtunface on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... 's decision to hold a Loya Jirga, calling it illegal and unnecessary. "President Karzai must decide on the BSA himself," said Ahadi, a former Minister in Karzai's cabinet. "Holding a Loya Jirga to do it is against the law." The Afghanistan's Caped President announced last week that a Loya Jirga would convene within a month in order to approve or disapprove the terms of the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) negotiated between Washington and Kabul. The agreement is expected to outline the U.S.' role in Afghan national security after the NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis.... combat mission ends in December of 2014. "The Jirga will assess all aspects of the agreement and the representatives of the citizens will make a final decision on the BSA. The citizens are authorized to make a final decision, and the government will only obey their decision," President Karzai said at a presser last Monday. With the security transition occurring simultaneous to a formative moment in Afghan politics -- the 2014 Presidential and Provincial Council elections -- the commentary on Karzai's decisions from Afghan leaders, and election candidates, has never been as loud or more abundant. Karzai's choice to defer to the Jirga for a final decision on the BSA, the terms of which are said to be largely settled after U.S. Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you knowKerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat,conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... made an unexpected trip to Kabul this past weekend, has been met with mixed response. Many Afghan Parliamentarians have spoken out in solidarity, voicing their support for Karzai's decision to leave the fate of the security pact up to one of the more traditional methods of democracy in Afghanistan. "There are some elements that are trying to prevent the Loya Jirga from happening, but this Jirga must be held so that we can weigh the pros and cons of the Bilateral Security Agreement," said Senator Hadayatullah Rahayi last week. However, alcohol has never solved anybody's problems. But then, neither has milk... others politicians, like Ahadi, are outright against the decision to defer to a Jirga what many consider to be an agreement that will determine whether Afghanistan sinks or swims in the coming years. Other registered Presidential candidates have urged for the BSA to be signed as soon as possible, joining a chorus of experts, Afghan and U.S. officials who think it would devastating for Afghanistan's future to not have an agreement in place. But none have, like Ahadi has, weighed in on the merits of relying on a Jirga to make the final call. Ahadi also cautioned against interference in the elections, emphasizing the importance of transparency and the neutrality of the government. He criticized the creation of a different Jirga, announced on Saturday, that seeks to reduce the number of Presidential candidates running in the election, which currently stands at 26. "If candidates negotiate among themselves, it's fine, but there was no need for the creation of a committee," said Ahadi. He went on to assert that he had no intentions of withdrawing from the race. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Maybe the Republicans should give up on this convention shit and have a Loya Jirga in Chicago. Never underestimate the value of entertainment. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2013-10-15 13:00 |