In Shamshatu refugee camp, fiery speeches on Hizb-e-Islami founding day
Young men donning military fatigues protect speakers as participants chant anti-US slogans.
PESHAWAR:
Young men donning military fatigues while carrying AK-47 rifles and children wearing green headbands of the Hizb-e-Islami (HI) flag stand at the entrance of Shahbani Mosque in suburban area of Shamshatu.
The atmosphere is electric with the loudspeaker blaring speeches in Persian with chants of “Marg Bar America!” (Death to America!) in the background. This slogan, long employed by the Iranian regime, reminded one of the conservative Sunni Afghans’ congregation, and the movement of ideas and people across borders.
The gathering was meant to celebrate the 44th founding anniversary of the HI, which is one of the leading players in the Afghan conflict.
The militia-cum-political party led by former Afghan premier Gulbuddin Hekmatyar was founded in the 1970s as a youth organisation. However, in the aftermath of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the HI turned into a major resistance group.
Inside the hall, a large number of people are listening to speeches of the HI leaders, mostly in Persian.
Two young boys, in military attire, stand to the left and right sides of the speaker, while another young boy briefly interrupts the speech and uses the sound system to chant slogans. The participants also join the sloganeering. A full array of former Afghan war veterans sits facing the crowd, as they are called to deliver their speeches one by one.
Dr Mohammad Hakim Hakim, patron of the HI, recalls the outfit’s history in detail, beginning with Hekmatyar’s struggle against the Communist influence under Afghan King Zahir Shah and the later guerrilla operations under Sardar Daud’s rule.
Hakim said it was the HI which launched resistance against the Soviet invasion for the first time.
Qazi Mehmoodul Hasan Jahid, head of the education branch, said that the HI’s educational activities, including its forays into militant media, and newspapers and journals were published across the world.
“The Hizb-e-Islami is running a university for women and a college for boys at Shamshatu,” he said.
In-charge of the HI’s financial affairs Abdul Salam Hashmi and a veteran resistance commander Amanullah Khogmand, who heads the militia’s supervisory committee, also spoke on the occasion.
HI fighters caused USSR’s disintegration: Hekmatyar
The HI’s political committee head read out a statement in Pushto, published in a local newspaper, to the audience.
The long verbose statement quotes the jihadist leader describing the situation in Afghanistan in detail and praising his fighters and commanders. He said it were the freedom fighters who first led to the disintegration of the USSR, and that the US has also lost all hopes of winning in Afghanistan.
The statement quoted him as saying: “The US could not defeat Afghans despite heavy influx of its army and now they are acknowledging that the Afghan issue cannot be resolved through war but talks with resistance groups are necessary.”
In what could be termed a set instruction, the HI chief asked Afghans to take part in Jihad as it was their religious duty. He also stressed upon them to take Jihad as the only way to defeat the enemy.
Hekmatyar also asked his fighters to keep a distance from those who are engaged in negative activities like attacks on mosques, killing of teachers and religious scholars, attacking schools, clinics and carrying out bomb blasts at public places.
He also asked his fighters to point their guns at the foreigners and not to attack local forces “unless inevitable”.
He also asked Afghan security personnel to follow the example of one Mohammad Sadiq, who had fired shots on American attackers.
In the end of his statement, he assured Afghans that “the dark night is almost over, and a new dawn is about to rise.”
“Soon this Jihad will meet its ultimate aim, and the enemy will be defeated.”
Another senior HI leader Qutbuddin Hilal in his speech asked the Taliban to forge unity in their ranks in order to pave the way for imposition of Islamic law so that the country can be saved from slipping into a civil war in the future.
Hilal said the HI was not part of the Qatar dialogue. However, he expressed his good wishes for the success of the ongoing talks which reportedly took place between the Taliban and US officials.
The Shamshatu refugee camp is situated in the southeast outskirts of Peshawar. The camp is at an hour’s drive from the city and one of largest refugee settlements in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Young men donning military fatigues while carrying AK-47 rifles and children wearing green headbands of the Hizb-e-Islami (HI) flag stand at the entrance of Shahbani Mosque in suburban area of Shamshatu.
The atmosphere is electric with the loudspeaker blaring speeches in Persian with chants of “Marg Bar America!” (Death to America!) in the background. This slogan, long employed by the Iranian regime, reminded one of the conservative Sunni Afghans’ congregation, and the movement of ideas and people across borders.
The gathering was meant to celebrate the 44th founding anniversary of the HI, which is one of the leading players in the Afghan conflict.
The militia-cum-political party led by former Afghan premier Gulbuddin Hekmatyar was founded in the 1970s as a youth organisation. However, in the aftermath of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the HI turned into a major resistance group.
Inside the hall, a large number of people are listening to speeches of the HI leaders, mostly in Persian.
Two young boys, in military attire, stand to the left and right sides of the speaker, while another young boy briefly interrupts the speech and uses the sound system to chant slogans. The participants also join the sloganeering. A full array of former Afghan war veterans sits facing the crowd, as they are called to deliver their speeches one by one.
Dr Mohammad Hakim Hakim, patron of the HI, recalls the outfit’s history in detail, beginning with Hekmatyar’s struggle against the Communist influence under Afghan King Zahir Shah and the later guerrilla operations under Sardar Daud’s rule.
Hakim said it was the HI which launched resistance against the Soviet invasion for the first time.
Qazi Mehmoodul Hasan Jahid, head of the education branch, said that the HI’s educational activities, including its forays into militant media, and newspapers and journals were published across the world.
“The Hizb-e-Islami is running a university for women and a college for boys at Shamshatu,” he said.
In-charge of the HI’s financial affairs Abdul Salam Hashmi and a veteran resistance commander Amanullah Khogmand, who heads the militia’s supervisory committee, also spoke on the occasion.
HI fighters caused USSR’s disintegration: Hekmatyar
The HI’s political committee head read out a statement in Pushto, published in a local newspaper, to the audience.
The long verbose statement quotes the jihadist leader describing the situation in Afghanistan in detail and praising his fighters and commanders. He said it were the freedom fighters who first led to the disintegration of the USSR, and that the US has also lost all hopes of winning in Afghanistan.
The statement quoted him as saying: “The US could not defeat Afghans despite heavy influx of its army and now they are acknowledging that the Afghan issue cannot be resolved through war but talks with resistance groups are necessary.”
In what could be termed a set instruction, the HI chief asked Afghans to take part in Jihad as it was their religious duty. He also stressed upon them to take Jihad as the only way to defeat the enemy.
Hekmatyar also asked his fighters to keep a distance from those who are engaged in negative activities like attacks on mosques, killing of teachers and religious scholars, attacking schools, clinics and carrying out bomb blasts at public places.
He also asked his fighters to point their guns at the foreigners and not to attack local forces “unless inevitable”.
He also asked Afghan security personnel to follow the example of one Mohammad Sadiq, who had fired shots on American attackers.
In the end of his statement, he assured Afghans that “the dark night is almost over, and a new dawn is about to rise.”
“Soon this Jihad will meet its ultimate aim, and the enemy will be defeated.”
Another senior HI leader Qutbuddin Hilal in his speech asked the Taliban to forge unity in their ranks in order to pave the way for imposition of Islamic law so that the country can be saved from slipping into a civil war in the future.
Hilal said the HI was not part of the Qatar dialogue. However, he expressed his good wishes for the success of the ongoing talks which reportedly took place between the Taliban and US officials.
The Shamshatu refugee camp is situated in the southeast outskirts of Peshawar. The camp is at an hour’s drive from the city and one of largest refugee settlements in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.