DAMMAM, 7 July — News of the assassination of Afghan Vice President Abdul Qadir in Kabul yesterday stunned the Afghans living in Saudi Arabia.
The Afghans Arab News spoke to in the Eastern Province have been living in the Kingdom for many years and have not been to their country for decades due to the civil war in Afghanistan. However, they have maintained contacts with their friends and relatives back home. Many of these Afghans are even participating in the ongoing peace process by proxy.
One of the cousins of former Afghan president Sighatullah Mujaddadi set that it was a setback to the "ongoing healing process in the country." He said that there were elements within the alliance who wanted to sabotage the peace process. "The first such subversive act in this direction after the overthrow of Taleban regime was the killing of Abdul Rahman, the then aviation minister, on Feb. 14. This is just the continuation of such a nefarious design," he said on condition of anonymity.
Dost Muhammad of Panjsher Valley, who has not visited his country 11 years, said situation in Kabul was still volatile. Muhammad, who is a carpet dealer in downtown Alkhobar, said that too many vested interest groups were active to sabotage the peace process. "Peace is still fragile in the country and ethnic rivalry has not yet subsided. It will not happen so quickly. There will be more turmoil and more violence in the coming days," he said fearfully.
Noor Muhammad, an Afghan who has not visited his country for the past 10 years and most of his relatives are refugees in Pakistan, said that the killing of Abdul Qadir was the result of ethnic strife and that killings will continue until the peace process is not started from within. In Riyadh, Sahmshad Ali Siddiqui, secretary-general of the Middle East Association of Pakistanis, strongly condemned the assassination. He appealed to President Karzai to set up a high-level inquiry into the murder and also control the tribal infighting in the country. The current situation, he pointed out, is a challenge to the Afghan government in its efforts to restore peace in the region after 20 years of civil war. The law and order situation in Afghanistan still needs to improve further, he said, adding: "It seems as though Hamid Karzai’s writ runs only in Kabul."
Khaled Raja, general manager of Ben Rajah Company, said the impact of the current unrest could be felt on neighboring countries and put regional stability at risk. He strongly condemned the tribal rivalry.
In Jeddah, Afghans and Afghanistan-watchers were all deeply shocked by Abdul Qadir’s assassination. "It’s really sad and tragic that the Afghan vice president has been eliminated. This shows the Afghan crisis continues despite America’s war on terror. I think Abdul Qadir is one of those who wanted peace in Afghanistan, his activities were not liked by some. He was a patriotic Afghan," said Shahbaz Hussain Chaudhari, a Pakistani community leader.
"Abdul Qadir’s assassination is most regrettable. It’s not good for the overall peace effort that is going on. It should be condemned not only in the interest of Afghanistan but also of the entire subcontinent," said Jeddah-based Urdu poet Nasim-e-Sehar.
— Saeed Haider in Dammam, Javid Hassan in Riyadh & K.S. Ramkumar in Jeddah
