US departure was filled with vengefulness and hatred towards Afghans: Gulbuddin Hekmatyar

New Delhi: One of the oldest faces of Afghanistan’s struggle, former Prime Minister and chief of the Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin (HIG) party Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who returned from exile in 2016, has supported dialogue and elections to decide the next Afghan government. The 72-year-old, who is participating in discussions with Taliban leaders, is known to have deep and well-established links with Pakistan’s intelligence agencies.

The veteran Afghan leader spoke to an Indian news channel, and talked in detail about the roles of Pakistan, China and his role in the formation of the current regime under Taliban. 

Hekmatyar, who is currently one of the oldest faces of Afghanistan’s struggle, has witnessed three consecutive superpowers invade Afghanistan in the past century - the British, the Soviet Union and the United States of America, said that the forces of these nations entered Afghanistan at the peak of their power but they failed to achieve any of their strategic goals and had to withdraw with their heads hanging in shame. 

According to him, the geostrategic importance of Afghanistan has been boosted by the eventual defeat of the United States in the twenty-year-long intractable war, adding that Afghanistan has now turned into a playground of regional and global rivalries. 

Asked about his talks to the Taliban, Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah regarding the formation of the new government, the vetran leader said that "We have to wait till the Taliban arrive at an internal consensus with regards to their stance and proposed structure for the coming political order. Such a plan can then be forwarded to other stakeholders through the formal and final negotiations."

About his role in the new administration, theveteran war lord told the news channel that he was satisfied with and thankful to Almighty Allah for the withdrawal of NATO troops, adding "I’m willing to unconditionally support the Taliban in consolidating the security/law and order sector as well as the formation of a centralized government."

When asked about Afghanistan's role in removing Pakistan’s negative mindset and influence, the former Afghan PM said that everyone has understood the fact that insecurity, conflict and the presence of terrorist outfits or states are detriment to all, adding "Pakistan is second only to Afghanistan in how much it has been affected due to all these conflicts."

According to him, the future Afghanistan governments should be non-aligned and should strive to prevent them from becoming a site for political, intelligence, military and economic rivalries, adding "Previous experiences have shown that every time Kabul has aligned with a regional or global rival, it has always led to conflict. Past alignments with the US and Soviet Union have gone on to prove that point, a bloody history we should diligently avoid."

When asked about China, and his support to Islamic fighters in East Turkestan, the veteran leader said that Afghanistan is in dire need of security and development to compensate for the forty-year-old conflict, adding "We need to heal from our wounds before we can think about other issues especially those concerning the world beyond our borders."

About the way the US troops have withdrawn from Afghanistan, Hekmatyar termed it appalling and contrary to all humanitarian standards, as it was coupled with savagery, bloodshed and destruction, adding "We can say that their departure was filled with vengefulness and hatred towards Afghans - both friends and foe."

On his joining the future government in Afghanistan, the veteran leader told CNN-News18 that the Taliban will have to make decisions about the structure and composition of the government based on the circumstances of the country and its national interests, adding "We hope that they are mindful of all these aspects while taking the necessary decisions."

Asked about what kind of a society will he want to see in Afghanistan, he categorically said that it should be a free, independent, non-aligned, war-free Afghanistan that should have a government representative of "our Muslim and national values". 

About the role of women in new Afghanistan, he was quoted as saying "women in an Islamic Afghanistan will enjoy all their inalienable human and Islamic rights. They shall feel more valued than women of any other country since the rights and privileges given to women in Islam are far more progressive and equal compared to all other schools of thought and systems."

About India role in new Afghanistan, the veteran Afghan leader said, "India should play a positive and constructive role in Afghanistan, contrary to their role in the past four decades. It chose to support the invasion and occupation of both the Soviet Union and the United States of America instead of supporting the Afghan cause for freedom."

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