Major shift in stance? : Hekmatyar’s party seeks political role post-2014

Hizb-e-Islami backed Hilal tells ‘Taliban brethren’ that smooth polls will lead to real peace.

ISLAMABAD: Hizb-e-Islami Afghanistan (HIA), the second largest resistance group after the Taliban, which had previously stayed away from elections, is now actively taking part in the April 5 polls that is seen as a move to boost its political role in a post-Nato Afghanistan.

Last month Engineer Gulbuddin Hekmatyar,former Afghan prime minister and chief of the HIA, announced support for Qutbuddin Hilal in the presidential elections after the party’s central executive committee decided to take part in the crucial elections.



Hilal, who once headed HIA’s political council, had joined the race in January as an independent candidate as the party had not decided to contest the polls until that time. However, later Hekmatyar himself declared support for Hilal, giving him a political boost.

Hekmatyar in an earlier letter, exclusively received by The Express Tribune, had instructed his party leadership to take part in the elections for provincial councils and to support those candidates who were either related to the party or have a positive view about the party.

Provincial councils elect 68 senators in the 100-member Senate or ‘Masharano Jirga’, the upper house of parliament, and victory of some of Hizb leaders could ensure a role for the party in legislation. Other members of the Senate are nominated by the president.

An HIA leader told The Express Tribune that some military commanders had reacted angrily to the decision. However, the leadership did not budge.

Hekmatyar’s decision is likely to boost the democratic process in the insurgency-torn country as it will define the future political role of his party, which is also the second major armed resistance group. HIA’s political role is also being seen as a key to the reconciliation process ahead of Nato troops’ withdrawalby the end of this year.



The Hizb changed its stand about the elections after the party leaders inside Afghanistan and supporters approached the top leadership to review their decision of not taking part in the polls as they did not want the political space to be filled by others.

Hekmatyar’s whereabouts has been unknown for years, though he routinely gives recorded video and audio interviews and issue policy statements. His decision about elections is seen as very important and a major change in his stance and a move to seek a future political role for his party.

The head of Hizb’s political commission, Dr Ghairat Baheer, told The Express Tribune that Hizb leaders were now actively engaged in political campaign across Afghanistan as it “does not want to leave the field open for rivals”. He said the HIA decision would unite all splinter groups.

Although Hilal is not among the front-runners in the list of remaining eight presidential hopefuls, the decision assumed importance in Afghanistan and outside the war-shattered country as the party is still involved in fighting against the foreign troops. Hizb’s decision was also mentioned in the UN Secretary General’s annual report on Afghanistan presented to the Security Council last month.

The HIA decision further isolated the Taliban as they are now the only group trying to disrupt the democratic process. The Taliban condemn the elections as a ‘US-staged drama’ and insist ‘free and fair’ elections are not possible as long as Afghanistan ‘remains under the occupation of foreign invading forces”.

“I want to appeal to the Taliban brethren to desist from sabotaging the coming elections as democratic process will lead to real reconciliation,” Hilal told an election rally in north of Kabul this week, according to correspondents who attended the public meeting.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 2rd, 2014.