The Afghan Vice President General Abdul Rashid Dostum fiercely criticized President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and some other senior government officials last week. Previously, Dostum had made such criticisms due to power sharing issues, but this time he has accused the Afghan President and Chief Executive of favoring the ethnic groups they are identified with.
This is not the first time that the President and the National Unity Government (NUG) had been the subject of criticism by Abdullah or even President’s camps; but, before this, there were differences between the two electoral teams and then between the two camps of the NUG which was resolved with foreign mediations. General Dostum have also had differences with the Afghan President on issues such as his powers, share in the government and whether who will act, as his placeholder, in the absence of the President.
What are the main reasons behind the internal differences of the NUG? Do Dostum’s expressions add fuel to ethnic divisions? And what is the nature of the senior government officials’ criticism from the government? These are the questions that are analyzed here.
Increasing internal differences in the NUG
Right after the formation of the NUG, it became the subject of vast criticisms by circles outside and inside the government, criticism by the later means internal differences, and now after two years of its formation not only these differences are not resolved but it is increasing on a monthly basis.
At the beginning, these differences were evident between the two teams of the NUG but later differences appeared inside each team as well. In the first days of the NUG, the differences were due to division of powers but later these differences also became apparent during the appointment of the cabinet members, senior officials and even the Afghan Ambassadors in other countries. Therefore, a number of the senior government officials either fiercely criticized the government or resigned. For instance, the head of the Local Organs Independent Administration Jailani Popal, head of the National Directorate of Security Rahmattullah Nabil, Minister of Interior Affairs Norulhaq Olomi, the chairman of the Independent Election Commission Yusuf Nuristani, Minister of Mines and Petroleum Dauod Shah Saba, the governor of Helmand Mirza Khan Rahimi, the governor of Kunduz Mohammad Omar Safi and some other officials resigned. [1]
Out of the government, the NUG also criticized by the Afghanistan Protection and Stability Council, in which Jihadi figures and officials of the former government are gathered; the Supreme Council of Jihadi and National Parties Sebghatullah Mujadadi, the New National Front of Anwarul Haq, head of the Green Trend Amrullah Saleh and some other politicians.
The main factors behind internal differences
The following are the reasons behind the reescalation of internal difference within the NUG:
- First; the NUG itself: Generally, national unity governments are formed after a prolonged war and usually their main objective is to bring parties of various opposing political views under an inclusive government; but experience shows that these governments were often a failure. Although in Afghanistan the NUG was not formed after a war but it was formed due to disputes over election results in the middle of a continuing war. Generally internal differences in the governments are normal, but these differences are not as successive as in the Afghan NUG.
- Unusual composition of the two electoral teams, disputes over interests and leadership: given their relations in the past, the composition of the two stakeholder camps of the NUG, “Reforms and Partnership” and “Evolution and Continuity”, were not very natural. For instance, one could not even imagine that Ashraf Ghani, who had constantly criticized Abdul Rashid Dostum since 2001 and called him the killer of Afghans, would pick him as his first Vice President. Hezb-e-Islami (Arghandiwal) and Jamiat-e-Islami also formed a coalition but, compared to the “Reforms and Partnership” team, disputes in the “Evolution and Continuity” team were more apparent. Some significant figures left the team and Abdul Rashid Dustom repeatedly criticized the Afghan president.
Although, unusual composition and gathering around a circle for their interests were the major reasons of the subsequent internal differences, but in the “Reforms and Partnership” team, besides these factors, dispute over the leadership was also a factor in internal disputes in this team. For instance, disputes between Dr. Abdullah, Yunis Qanoni and Ata Mohammad Noor.
- Failing to deliver promises; another reason behind the internal differences in the NUG is failure in delivering promises. The two electoral teams failed in fulfilling both the promises they made to the members of their teams during their electoral champagnes and the promises made in the NUG agreement to each other. Thus the atmosphere of mistrust became dominant inside both teams and also in the relations between the two teams. Therefore, in some occasions, these mistrusts resulted in fierce criticisms.
From internal differences to ethnic differences
Differences within the NUG and criticism of the government officials from each other were, to a great extent, due to power sharing issues and political interests. But last week, it was the first time that a senior government official accused the President and Chief Executive of favoring particular ethnicities. In his speech, the Afghan Vice President General Abdul Rashid Dustem said: “for Mr. Abdullah Abdullah no matter if one is incapable or does not have a good name among the people he must be Tajik. If you speak Pashto with President [Ashraf Ghani], you will be a good person, and if you speak Pashto and you are from Logar [province], then you are very good”[2].
General Dostum reserved his sharpest words for President Ghani’s inner circle and said that Ghani is encircled by the National Security Advisor Hanif Atmar, head of National Directorate of Security Masoom Stanekzai and the President’s Chief of Staff Abdul Salam Rahimi. He said: “he has appointed someone as Minister of Defense who cannot even walk, Stanekzai is known as a Taliban, and it is not clear whether from who he receives orders, he did not gain the vote of confident from the Afghan Parliament, he is accused of being responsible for the assassination of Rabbani, I do not know, for which capability and trust is he appointed to such a key post?” [3]
In the meanwhile, the Afghan President’s special representative on reforms and good governance Ahmad Zia Masoad also accused the leaders of the NUG of nepotism in a gathering in Panjshir[4].
Recently, reburial of Habibullah Kalakani and building the “Nejat- rescue” memorial in its response are the indications of the beginning of the ethnic disputes in the country; but still these actions and the recent expressions of Dostum are mostly efforts of government officials to gather people around themselves and to gain their support. Adding fuel to ethnic divisions are mostly due to political reasons and efforts for more political gains. But there are also concerns of foreigners’ hands being behind intensification of ethnic divisions.
The nature of the government officials’ criticism of the government
In general it is a democratic tradition that whenever a government official has differences with the President within the government, he/she tries to resolve it behind closed doors and through negotiations; and if differences were not resolved then that government official simply resigns. But the case of a person, being in the government and in the meanwhile criticizing it, has never happened.
Although, releasing a statement, the Afghan Presidential Palace harshly responded to these expressions of Dostum[5]; but previously, tensions between the President and the Vice President are usually resolved after a meeting between them. Therefore, probably a meeting would resolve tensions between them.
In addition, such expressions by the government officials and particularly by the Vice President cannot be that simple, therefore, the Afghan Wolesi Jirga demanded the formation of a commission to clarify Dostum’s recent allegations; because the continuation of such expressions would question the Afghan government’s prestige in domestic and international levels.
The end
[1] For further information, Weekly Analysis Issue number: 159, >Senior Officials Resignations: Is NUG heading towards political breakdown?<, see it online:
https://csrsaf.org/en/blog/weekly-analysis-issue-number-159-april-2-9-2016/
[2] Read more here: https://soundcloud.com/sputnik-iran-afghanistan/1-36
[3] For more details click the following link: https://pashto.sputniknews.com/afghanistan/20161025811994/
[4] Read more here: http://www.etilaatroz.com/42509
[5] read the presidential palace’s response here: http://president.gov.af/ps/news/168178