The former spokesperson and cultural adviser to President Ashraf Ghani, Shah Hussain Murtazawi, says that a number of influential political leaders of the Islamic Republic left Afghanistan at critical moments before the collapse of the government and later placed the entire responsibility for the fall of the republic on Ashraf Ghani.
In a recent interview, Murtazawi said that corruption, the concentration of power, the marginalization of political figures, and the lack of political consensus during the republic were among the key factors that weakened the government and contributed to its collapse.
He claimed that Atta Mohammad Noor, Mohammad Mohaqiq, and Abdul Rashid Dostum had left Afghanistan before Ashraf Ghani. According to him, once Afghanistan’s districts began falling one after another to the Taliban, negotiations with the group no longer had any meaningful effect.
Murtazawi also criticized political leaders who accused Ashraf Ghani of fleeing after the collapse of the republic. He said that some of those who accused the president of abandoning the country had themselves left Afghanistan before him.
He also spoke about the economic and social hardships faced by the Afghan people under Taliban rule, saying that unemployment, poverty, natural disasters, and the suspension of operations by some organizations have increased the pressure on the population.
Murtazawi said that conditions should be created so that Afghans are not forced to leave the country through dangerous routes in search of employment and a better life. He called on the Taliban to take serious measures to improve public welfare, healthcare, education, and other essential services.
In the interview, he also spoke about his personal life under Taliban rule, saying that the only bicycle he owned in Afghanistan was stolen.
Writer:Saeed Sameer
