Khost meeting reiterates support to Taliban

ISLAMABAD (NNI): Thousands of participants of a grand meeting in Khost province of Afghanistan have strongly criticized press reports that national elders have sounded warning to the Taliban, reports VOA.

The residents and representatives of different tribes of the province gathered at the citys central mosque to reiterate their support to the ruling Taliban and dismiss the reports of differences between the Taliban and local elders.

The meeting was organized following the reports that differences have cropped up between the Taliban and national elders on the issues of sale of land and former Governor of Khost.

The participants accused western press of publishing baseless reports about Afghanistan. The correspondents of foreign press were also invited to the meeting to listen to not only the voice of the people but witness themselves that the area like other parts of the country has been reconstructed, rehabilitated and developed.

The meeting later passed a resolution and Deputy Chief of Bakhtar News Agency Internal Services, Qari Fazal Rabbi read out salient features of the resolution.

He said that the people of southern provinces particularly Khost province strongly reject the latest propaganda of some agencies and world mass media and are opposed to every system including the idea of imposing former Afghan monarch Zahir Shah on Afghanistan. The resolution said that the people of southern provinces of the country are defending the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and are ready to render every kind of sacrifices in this regard.

"We are convinced about the enforcement of Islam and resolution of problems in the light of Islamic Shariah and ensure full support to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan", said the resolution. It added that pious people of Khost have invited the Taliban and welcomed them with the slogans of "Allaho Akbar" besides showering flowers on them. They said that they would support each other for enforcement of Islamic system.

"The satanic propaganda of vested interest cannot separate us from each other, we urge the journalists to avoid baseless propaganda about Khost and instead convey factual position to the world people about the realities in the provinces, the resolution said. It says that if the journalists do not disown their incorrect and false reports and do not avoid such false reporting, they themselves would be responsible for dire consequences.