The provincial governor for the northern Balkh province and chief executive of Jamiat-e-Islami Ata Mohammad Noor has said the leader of Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is acting as if the government has surrendered to his party.
“We welcomed the peace deal, but instead of surrendering to the government, Mr. Hekmatyar is acting as if the government has surrendered to him,” Noor was quoted as saying in a report by the Washington Post.
Hekmatyar arrived in Kabul earlier this month after almost 20 years and months after signing a peace agreement with the Afghan government.
The Afghan officials are optimistic that the signing and implementation of peace agreement with Hezb-e-Islami may help to encourage other insurgent and militant groups to join reconciliation process and end the war through negotiations.
Abdul Hadi Argandiwal, a moderate Hizb leader, told The Washington post that he is optimistic that Hekmatyar’s welcome into public life will eventually persuade the Taliban insurgents to come to the negotiating table, but he also said the unrepentant warrior needs to transform himself first.
However, Noor said “We should give him a little time. If he wakes up and accepts democratic principles, everyone will welcome it, but if he sticks to this provocative behavior, it will not be good for Afghanistan’s future.”
