Omar Zakhilwal, former ambassador of Afghanistan to Pakistan, blamed Ashraf Ghani for the country’s “rapid collapse” as the Taliban continue to make swift advances and conquer more territory.
In a series of tweets, Zakhilwal blamed Ashraf Ghani’s misuse of authority, rampant corruption for reducing the Afghan state to “personal fiefdom”.
1/n: Afghanistan once again is at a cross road of a struggle between state survival and a deeper crisis. Over the past 7 years Dr. Ashraf Ghani ran the Afghan State like a private fiefdom. He spent enormous government resources, both on mainstream and social media, to elevate…
— Dr Omar Zakhilwal (@DrOmarZakhilwal) August 13, 2021
The former ambassador lashed out at the Afghan president, saying that he had spent years on promoting his image as the “greatest leader” Afghanistan ever had and the “second-most intellectual person in the world”.
2/n:…his image to the “Greatest Leader” Afghanistan ever had in addition to being “the second most intellectual person of the world”. He tried to make his face alone that of the State & the Republic. With untrue or exaggerated narratives, gross mismanagement, misuse of power, ..
— Dr Omar Zakhilwal (@DrOmarZakhilwal) August 13, 2021
He listed some of Ghani’s failed tactics during his rule, mainly excessive repeated violation of the constitution, nepotism, instilling political and national divisiveness, deliberate politicisation and “demoralisation of state institutions, political conspiracies, sabotaging of successive opportunities”.
3/n:… excessive repeated violation of the constitution, nepotism, instilling political and national divisiveness, deliberate politicization & demoralization of state institutions, political conspiracies, sabotaging of successive opportunities for peace and extension of his….
— Dr Omar Zakhilwal (@DrOmarZakhilwal) August 13, 2021
He said due to Ghani’s self-promotion, the Afghan security forces today were unsure whether they were fighting to protect the state or to ensure Ghani stays in power for another term.
4/n:…rule by another 5-years by fraudulent means, he instead reduced the State & the Republic to his face. As a result, the Afghan national security forces are faced with the confusion whether they are fighting for the survival of the State or the continuation in power of …
— Dr Omar Zakhilwal (@DrOmarZakhilwal) August 13, 2021
“The fall of dozens of districts and provincial capitals to Taliban across Afghanistan every week without much of a fight lately is largely resulted of that confusion[sic],” he continued.
5/n:…Dr. Ghani. The latter they don’t find worth fighting for. The fall of dozens of districts and provincial capitals to Taliban across Afghanistan every week without much of a fight lately is largely resulted of that confusion…
— Dr Omar Zakhilwal (@DrOmarZakhilwal) August 13, 2021
Zakhilwal pointed out that a peace settlement was not possible with Ghani as the president, considering he was mainly responsible for the Afghanistan ceding more territory to opposition forces.
Taliban seize Herat, Kandahar after fierce battle
His statement comes after the Taliban took control of more territory, with the capture of Herat being termed as a major blow for Afghanistan’s security forces.
6/n:..The Status Quo, with no change in management of the situation, points to one direction: continued killings and destruction for Afghans and a certain collapse of the entire State-the consequences of which for Afghans are well-known but for regional, neighbouring countries…
— Dr Omar Zakhilwal (@DrOmarZakhilwal) August 13, 2021
The insurgents also detained veteran commander Mohammad Ismail Khan after they seized Herat, a provincial official said Friday, adding that they had promised not to harm him and other captured officials.
7/n/:.. and the rest of the world will also be monumental. The current tough circumstances – stalled peace talks and rapid melting down of the state require simultaneous two-pronged approach – one safeguarding the state from a collapse and another enhanced and authoritative…
— Dr Omar Zakhilwal (@DrOmarZakhilwal) August 13, 2021
A Taliban spokesman confirmed that Khan, who had been leading fighters against the Taliban in recent weeks, was in their custody.
8/n:..management of peace talks that leads to a definite settlement. Neither is possible under Ashraf Ghani, one, because he has been the main cause of both wasting the opportunities for peace, and also of the rapid decline of the State both in terms of gravitas, authority and….
— Dr Omar Zakhilwal (@DrOmarZakhilwal) August 13, 2021
Khan is one of Afghanistan’s most prominent warlords. Known as the Lion of Herat, he battled Soviet occupiers in the 1980s and was a key member of the Northern Alliance whose US-backed forces toppled the Taliban in 2001.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed that Khan had been detained.
9/n:.. geographical control, and second, he has exhausted his entire credibility. He, therefore, has to go and spare what is left of the Afghan State from the ills of his management. Moving forward (without-Ghani), there is still an opportunity for the main national and….
— Dr Omar Zakhilwal (@DrOmarZakhilwal) August 13, 2021
The capture of the second-biggest city of Kandahar in the south and Herat in the west after days of clashes are a devastating setback for the government as the deadly Taliban insurgency turns into a rout of the security forces.
10/n:..international actors to get their act together for peace and stability in Afghanistan, however, the window of opportunity for that has been shrinking rapidly and the margin of error is at its absolute minimum. Histories of our own & also that of other nations have shown…
— Dr Omar Zakhilwal (@DrOmarZakhilwal) August 13, 2021
“The city looks like a front line, a ghost town,” provincial council member Ghulam Habib Hashimi said by telephone from Herat, a city of about 600,000 people near the border with Iran.
“Families have either left or are hiding in their homes.”
11/n:.. that countries in such critical and difficult situations have come out of crisis only with broader political consensus, unity and national solidarity. It, therefore, falls on the rest of the political leadership to come out of its prevailing paralysis, acknowledge
— Dr Omar Zakhilwal (@DrOmarZakhilwal) August 13, 2021
the…
Referring to the southern economic hub of Kandahar, a government official told Reuters: “Following heavy clashes late last night, the Taliban took control.”
12/n:..severity of the situation and become part of a broader political management of the crisis. The Taliban also need to make good on their statement that they would prefer a peace settlement and power sharing to a military victory and therefore a collapse of the state even…
— Dr Omar Zakhilwal (@DrOmarZakhilwal) August 13, 2021
The defeats have fuelled fears the US-backed government could fall to the insurgents as international forces complete their withdrawal after 20 years of war.
13/n:.. if the latter was possible. They know that the collapse of the state will be as disastrous to them as it would be to the country just like it was to the “victorious” Mujahideen after the collapse of the communist regime in 1992. If the Taliban are ready to conclude a …
— Dr Omar Zakhilwal (@DrOmarZakhilwal) August 13, 2021
A US defence official cited US intelligence as saying this week that the Taliban could take Kabul within 90 days.
14/n:…peace settlement with the broader Afghan politcal leadership in a Bonn type of internationally backed UN-facilitated Intra-Afghan negotiation within two to three weeks then then the latter, minus Dr Ghani, also seem to be ready. Then the preferred option would be to move…
— Dr Omar Zakhilwal (@DrOmarZakhilwal) August 13, 2021
The UN World Food Programme sees food shortages in Afghanistan as “quite dire” and worsening, a spokesperson said, adding the situation had all the hallmarks of a humanitarian catastrophe.
15/n:..directly to an inclusive interim government through a peace settlement. However, if it takes longer then the urgent safeguarding of the state and more genuine management of peace talks would require an immediate resignation of Dr. Ghani & replacing him with a Caretaker…
— Dr Omar Zakhilwal (@DrOmarZakhilwal) August 13, 2021
16/n:…Government. The current apolitical Chief Justice of the country could be an easier option for the Caretaker Head of the State. The needed deliverables for the latter option would be:
— Dr Omar Zakhilwal (@DrOmarZakhilwal) August 13, 2021
1.Appointing a Caretaker Government with specified power to stabilize and run the State…
Of Afghanistan’s major cities, the government still holds Mazar-i-Sharif in the north and Jalalabad, near the Pakistani border in the east, in addition to Kabul.
Media person and communication expert for over 25 years. Worked with Dow Jones News, World Bank, CNBC Pakistan, Aaj TV, ARY TV, Abbtakk TV, Business Recorder, Pakistan Observer, Online News Network, TTI Magazine and other local and world Publications.
