Gulbuddin Hekmatyar... who used to be known in intelligence circles as
The Most Evil Man in the Worldbut who now seems merely run-of-the-mill evil...
, reversed his previous boycotts of Afghan elections and asked his supporters on Monday to participate in the upcoming polls.
The move was welcomed by analysts, who interpreted Hikmatyar's message as a recognition of the political process.The presidential elections are due to be held in April.
Hikmatyar asked his supporters to compete with Hizb-e Islami's rivals, though he did not name any particular candidate or party.
"This is a good decision taken by Hikmatyar and other opposition parties should do the same thing," political analyst Maulana Farid said.
"Hikmatyar should have participated in the previous elections as well, this is a wise decision, he should ask other forces of Evil to avoid further violence," political analyst Moeen Marastyal added.
Hezb-e-Islami had already said that it will nominate a candidate in the upcoming Afghan presidential election, either from its own ranks or an outsider.