Another Afghan governor rejects President Ghani’s replacement order

President Ashraf Ghani, right, and the chief executive Abdullah Abdullah at the swearing-in ceremony in Kabul. Experts say Samangan Gov. Abdul Karim Khadam's refusal to leave office has come as a blow to the Ghani administration.

KABUL: Another governor from the northern Afghan province of Samangan, Abdul Karim Khadam, has rejected President Ashraf Ghani’s order to leave office — the second one to reject the presidential order in months — imparting a further blow to the authority of the US-backed government in Kabul.
Ghani on Saturday issued the replacement order for Khadam, who belongs to Jamiat-e-Islami (JI) political faction and is an ethnic Turkman. In a press conference on Sunday, Khadam rejected the order, terming his removal as “unfair.”
“We do not accept this decision. I will wait for the instruction of the leadership of Jamiat-e-Islamic and the decision of Turkman chiefs … and will continue to execute my duty until then,” he said.
Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani, who is also the leader of the JI, posted on his Facebook page that the JI leadership will soon announce its decision regarding Ghani’s order.
Government officials refused to comment on the subject.
The replacement order comes nearly two months after the long-serving governor of the key northern Balkh province, Atta Mohammad Noor, defied Ghani’s order to step down.
Noor is the second most important leader of the JI, which has dominated Afghanistan’s politics, economy and war for decades and held key positions since the US-led troops overthrew the Taliban government in 2001.
Political tension in Afghanistan heightened as Noor warned of consequences for replacing him by force, prompting the US Vice President Mike Pence to speak with Ghani and call for a peaceful transfer of leadership in Balkh.
Noor has hinted at stage a massive march in various provinces later this month.
Talking to Arab News, political analyst Bashir Bezhen said Khadam’s refusal to leave office has come as a blow to the Ghani administration.
“This issue has a direct impact on the government’s credibility and legitimacy [both] at home and abroad,” said Bezhen.
“It will also cost the people from economic, security and political aspects and adversely affect the prestige of the leadership in Kabul. It can also pave the way for criminals and foreign spies to take advantage of the situation,” he added.