Addressing a special commemoration ceremony for Ahmad Shah Massoud Day in Kabul on Tuesday, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said that the tenure of his government has ended and that he wants a new leader to take his place as soon as possible.
The event was attended by top Afghan political and military figures, including the two presidential candidates, who Karzai urged to surmount their differences and come together to form a national unity government.
“Afghanistan is in extreme need of a new government to be formed, the time of our government has been completed, I want a new government, we can have the new government of Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and Dr. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, the unity between them is in our interests, even if they reach an agreement today,” Karzai told the crowd gathered at the ceremony.
The two candidates have been deadlocked in negotiations for over two weeks, but have failed to put their remaining disagreements to rest and follow through with the power-sharing framework they established with the help of U.S. Secretary of State in the beginning of August.
President Karzai called on the people of Afghanistan to compel the candidates to reach a final agreement.
“Ask them to reach an agreement, call them with a loud voice,” Karzai said. “Tell them [the candidates] that we will not embrace you unless you reach an agreement, reach an agreement and bring the government out of this situation, it is enough for us. We want to transfer the government.”
Former Jihadi figure Abdul Rab Rassoul Sayyaf also endorsed Karzai’s remarks. “I endorse President Karzai’s demand, I also pray that Allah guide the nation to move on a single path and save us from division, and may Allah decide what is good for us,” he said.
But Tuesday’s gathering itself showed signs of the divisions that exist between the two camps, which have prevented a deal from being made yet. At one point, Sibghatollah Mujadidi, the former Afghan president who has vocally supported Ashraf Ghani and criticized Abdullah, was prevented from delivering his speech because of an uproar amongst the crowd. Abdullah then came on stage and calmed the audience.
Mujadidi left the gathering, but not before he expressed his feelings on the matter: “I don’t understand why you [participants] reacted like this, you are aware that I asked you to call Panjsher Hazaran Sher, the services which I have done for Panjsher no leader has done before, I forgot, Good bye, if I was true, may Allah give me the reward, if you were wrong, then may Allah punish you.”