Women rally
condemns ministers
April 28, 2004
ISALAMABAD (NNI) - Hundreds of Afghan women and school children
staged demonstration in Islamabad and condemned Afghan
government ministers for links with Islamic fundamentalists.
The rally marked the anniversary of the fall of the communist
regime in Afghanistan in 1992 and take over by the Mujahideen
groups.
Chanting "Down with fundamentalists", "Down with Taliban" and
"Down with Jehadis" some 500 supporters of the Revolutionary
Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) marched towards a
building housing United Nationals offices in Islamabad,
Pakistan's capital.
RAWA leaders handed over a memorandum to the UN representative,
demanding greater rights for women in Afghanistan.
"The Northern Alliance, despite expressing anger, power and
continuation of threats, terror propaganda and conspiracy failed
to remove the scare of crimes against our peo0ple form their
dirty faces," the memorandum said.
"Fahim, Ismail and Dostum are enemies of freedom and democracy,"
read a placard carried by some women in the demonstration as
they raised slogans for greater rights in Afghanistan in Pashtu
and Dari, the country's two main languages.
RAWA DENOUNCES JEHADIS
Afghan human rights activists rallied outside the U.N. offices
in Pakistan Tuesday, expressing concerns about the current
government and the coming elections. The protesters want Islamic
fundamentalist leaders out of any powerful office. The
Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan, or RAWA,
organized the demonstration outside the United Nations office in
the Pakistani capital. RAWA was joined by Japanese peace
activists from a group calling itself the International Criminal
Tribunal.
At least 600 activists marked the 12th anniversary of the
capture of Kabul by Islamic parties in 1992, by denouncing
Islamic fundamentalist leaders in Afghanistan, and urging they
be banned from the current post-war government and future
elections. The demonstrators chanted "Death to hardliners," "Death
to Taliban" and "Death to Jehadis". The RAWA leaders handed over
a memorandum to the UN representative, demanding greater rights
for women in Afghanistan. RAWA criticized the international
community, and particularly the Untied States, for allowing some
former fundamentalist Afghan leaders, with notorious records of
abuses against women, to become members of the government led by
interim President Hamid Karzai. The protesters demanded the
removal of Defense Minister Mohammad Faheem, Uzbek warlord Abdul
Rashid Dostum and governor of western Herat province, Ismail
Khan, so they can be tried for crimes against Afghans. Marina, a
senior member of RAWA, says these men are undermining efforts to
improve human rights and introduce democracy in Afghanistan. "There
must be a change in system, and the fundamentalists must be
thrown out," she said. "If we have fundamentalists in power,
there cannot be any change." She said these officials and
warlords will try to influence the elections in Afghanistan to
remain in power.
The RAWA leaders handed over a memorandum to the UN
representative, demanding greater rights for women in
Afghanistan. "The Northern Alliance, despite expressing anger,
power and continuation of threats, terror, propaganda and
conspiracy failed to remove the scare of crimes against our
people from their dirty faces," the memorandum said. "Fahim,
Ismail and Dostum are enemies of freedom and democracy," read a
placard carried by some women in the demonstration as they
raised slogans for greater rights in Afghanistan in Pashtu and
Dari, the country's two main languages. Mohammed Fahim is
Afghanistan's defense minister who maintains a private militia
while Ismail Khan, a former Islamic warrior, is governor of the
western Herat province and is accused of violating human rights
and suppressing women. Abdul Rashid Dostum, an ally of Afghan
President Hamid Karzai, who heads a militia of ethnic Uzbeks. He
also runs a private jail in northern Afghanistan and recently he
tried to overrun northern provinces.
The RAWA Statement read in part, "The recent incidents of Herat,
Mimana and Uruzgan made it obvious to everyone that the bandits
of "Northern Alliance" who have taken specific areas of
Afghanistan under their control and consider them as their
family property are not in a mood to give up their power and
show allegiance towards any central government. For them it is
crystal clear that if disarmed today, they will not have any
value among their tribes, let alone among the people of
Afghanistan.
" Further, "On the one
hand different countries of the world are promising to give 8
billion dollars in aid, and on the other hand Mr.Karzai is
considering the appointment of the dirtiest elements of Jehadis
to important government posts as his most important task.
Meanwhile they get
themselves ready to loot the billions of coming dollars….. If
the bloody warlords and mafias were deprived of power, this aid
would have been a hope to our people for reconstruction of their
homes and improvement of their lives. But because of this dragon
"Northern Alliance" placed in key positions, the majority of the
people can expect to see the collisions and ferocious battles of
these thieves to get more of the share.
For this reason we are
against the delivery of this aid in the current situation, for
ordinary people will get nothing while the warlords of "Northern
Alliance" will try their best to fill their pockets and use it
to strengthen themselves politically and militarily.
That is why it is not
surprising that the Finance Minister and the Chairman of The
Afghanistan Bank express inability in giving account of billions
of dollars of foreign aids to the people."
The statement continues,
"Mr. Karzai talks about the need of the presence of
international forces for a further ten years until an effective
military force can be established. But he forgets that until the
main source of all problems - the virus of fundamentalism - is
uprooted, no army is going to be established that will be free
from the germ of fundamentalism. Even after 20 years it is
certain that this country will never see reconstruction and
eradication of corruption. The establishment of 80,000 armed
forces with sensible generals who are not fundamentalists is
possible in 3 years, provided the "Northern Alliance" is not
involved…
The people of the world
should know that Afghanistan itself is a victim of the Taliban,
Gulbuddin, Al-Qaida, their religious brothers the "Northern
Alliance," terror, and insecurity… Even the barbaric Taliban
never took girls and women and forced them to undergo a hospital
examination to see if they have recently had sexual intercourse,
but Ismael Khan, this puppet of the Iranian regime, is not
immune to making such insults and humiliations against our girls
in Heart. This has no parallel anywhere in the world…Additionally
the brothers of this criminal Jehadi in Nangahar (Dean Muhammad
and others) are beating male and female university artists in
that province. This is not an ordinary issue and is a sign of
their sympathy and harmony with the Jehadi mafias, Al-Qaida and
Gulbuddin, all of whom have recently increased their terrorist
actions.
The joint history of
terror, torture and ideology is going to tie the "Northern
Alliance" unbreakably to Al- Qaida, Taliban and Gulbuddin."
Sources: RAWA, Kuwait News Agency, VOA
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