Hekmatyar all set to rejoin Rabbani-led opposition

ISLAMABAD: Leader of his own faction of Hezb-e-Islami Afghanistan (HIA) and Prime Minister in the Rabbani government Gulbaddin Hekmatyar is expected to join the Opposition Alliance within the next few days, reported The Muslim newspaper here Friday.

A high-level HIA delegation is presently camping in the opposition headquarters of Mazar-e-Sharif to hold discussions with Rabbani and other leaders in the alliance and finalize the modalities for joining the coalition government in the northern Afghan city.

The three-member HIA team comprising Hamayun Jareer (son-in-law of Hekmatyar), Kariyab and Saboon is said to have already discussed with Prof. Rabbani a number of issues which led to the exit of Gulbaddin from the Alliance shortly after the Taliban ousted Rabbani and formed their own government in Kabul on September 27, 1996.

Since then the HIA chief had virtually taken asylum in Iran. Despite being appointed Prime Minister in the Rabbani government, Hekmatyar faced severe problems in running the office due to his long-standing rivalry with Commander Ahmad Shah Masud, who hardly allowed the Hezb chief to take major decisions which later forced Hekmatyar to pull out of the coalition. However, according to latest reports, the former Afghan Prime Minister was under immense pressure from Iran for rejoining the shadow Afghan government in Mazar-e-Sharif.

Meanwhile, the first ever meeting of the opposition cabinet was held in Mazar-e-Sharif. The meeting was chaired by Burhanuddin Rabbani. Besides nine ministers, the meeting was attended by representatives of Commander Ahmad Shah Masud and Gen Dostum. Both the Afghan elders failed to turn up at the meeting due to personal engagements.

According to sources close to both the factions of Hezb-e-Wahdat Afghanistan led by Karim Khalili and Ali Akbari and Harkat-e-Islami of Mohsini, the rival cabinet discussed at length the prevailing political and military situation in the war-torn country. The meeting also agreed to revive all the ministries in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif, which had already been declared interim capital by the Opposition.--NNI