Mullah Omar rejects Afghan-US pact, upcoming elections

Taliban leader warns that the strategic agreement will be followed by 'grave consequences'.


Tahir Khan October 13, 2013
Taliban leader Mullah Omar. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE

ISLAMABAD: Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Muhammad Omar, Sunday rejected the proposed US-Afghan security pact and said Afghans will not accept it.

Omar's statement -- cloaked as an "Eid" message -- came a day after President Hamid Karzai and US Secretary of State John Kerry agreed on some parts of the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA). The agreement however left the issue of providing immunity to the US soldiers unresolved.

“The invaders and their allies should understand that the strategic agreement will be accompanied by grave consequences for them,” said Omar in a message received by The Express Tribune on Sunday.

President Karzai appointed former President Sibghatullah Mujaddadi to convene a "Loya Jirga" or grand assembly to discuss and give a formal approval to BSA which Omar opposed.

"They might get these documents rubber stamped by a fake Loya Jirga but it will not be acceptable to the Afghans. Throughout the history, the real representatives and Loya Jirgas of the country have never signed documents of slavery," said the Taliban leader.

Omar said those who sign the BSA do not represent the Loya Jirga of the country.

"Their decisions are not acceptable. The invaders should know that their limited bases will never be accepted. The current armed Jihad will continue against them with more momentum,” he went on to say.

'Votes of people have no value'

The Taliban leader also rejected the upcoming Presidential elections scheduled for April 2014, the year set by NATO troops for withdrawal.

“The Afghan people can't be enticed by the (current) conspiracy of misleading people under the name of elections in the shade of the occupation in the country. There are figures active in these elections who are catering only to personal interests and the interests of the invaders rather than the Islamic and national interests,” Omar said.

He regretted that some of the leaders were "trying to distort Islam" in order to reach the corridor of power and to "please the non-believers".

“The people know that some foreign stooges are playing with their destiny. The votes of the people have no value in the elections nor will participation benefit. Therefore, the Islamic Emirate rejects these elections and urge the people to avoid participation in them because this is only a drama being played by the invaders to attain their goals,” the Taliban leader said.

COMMENTS (25)

Zahir Khan | 10 years ago | Reply

@ Babbarsher Khan

Which twisted school in punjab teach you this narration of history that afghans have been slitting each other throats??. I think you are taking things very literally. Off course there has been voilence but in the history of afghnistan but in the last 150 years it has been invaded by 3 world powers as well. The whole of humanity has been in wars with each other at some point and even in Europe they were fighting as far back as the nineties. Whilst you guys were collaborating with the brits who had a pupulation less than 5 percent of yours and land less than 5 percent as well the afghans were brave enough not to be subjugated. whilst your jargirdars, khans and chaudhris were playing slaves to their masters(they still are) they were were in a way also slitting the poor mans throat. This butchery is still going on. So please don't take a moral high ground by picturing afghans as violent and yourself as more peaceful. There is nowadays more violence in pakistan than in afghanistan and this can't be denied.

Maulvi | 10 years ago | Reply

What are 40,000 insurgents going to do against 350,000 ANA and perhaps more than 5000 US residual troops? Nothing. We will have a stalemate in Afghanistan.

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