By
Housbanullah Mutawakkil, IOL Afghanistan Correspondent
KANDAHAR,
November 6 (IslamOnline) - A senior Afghan official said that the
transitional government will undertake some changes in the next few
days, a step that many experts explained as a turn against the Northern
Alliance (NA).
The
official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, in an exclusive
statement to IslamOnline, that the most significant changes will include
sacking General Mohamed Fahim, the Tajik Defense Minister in the current
transitional government and the leader of the NA.
Fahim
may be replaced by Marshal Shaouli Khan, an in-law of former Afghan king
Mohamed Zaher Shah or by the king's grandson, Mostafa Zaher, he said,
adding that Gul Agha Shirazi, Kandahar current ruler, will be appointed
as interior minister, replacing Tag Mohamed Wardek, also from the NA.
The
new ruler of Kandahar will be one of the sons of Sayed Kayan, leader of
the Ismailis in Afghanistan, or Mohamed Zaher, the son of Hagi
Abdul-Gadir, the vice president and minister of public affairs who was
assassinated a few months ago in Kabul, the official added.
General
Abdul-Rashid Dostum will be appointed vice president of Afghan President
Hamid Karzai, he said, explaining that this means that Dostum has to
move to Kabul, away from his center of power in the north of the
country.
"Removing
Dostum - known for his rudeness and brutality - away from his area of
influence will weaken him and this will be the first step in the way of
removing him from any political post," the official told
IslamOnline.
Appointing
General Dostum as vice president will probably take place in a bid to
win the support of Uzbek nationals in Afghanistan, whom make up 6.6% of
the population, against the Tajiks who make up 30%.
Ismail
khan, the powerful ruler of Herat who is in complete control of the
city, will also be sacked, the senior official added.
The
Human Rights Watch (HRW), in a report released Tuesday, November 5, in
New York, has accused the U.S. and Iran of cooperating with Ismail Khan
accused by the organization of violating human rights.
The
organization has also requested from charity and emergency organizations
in Afghanistan not to supply Khan with any form of aid.
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Ismail
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Another
senior official in the Afghan government said that the consultations on
ministerial changes are taking place between the government and the
regional rulers.
"Important
meetings are currently taking place and Karzai will officially announce
major changes in the next few days," he added.
Analysts
explain the expected changes in the Afghan government as a means of
tightening the central government’s grip on Afghan cities and a means
of gradually getting rid of Northern Alliance figures in the government
and replacing them by supporters of the former Afghan king.
The
transitional government was expected to complete its period of 18
months, but as the influence of the Tajiks increased, Karzai was forced
to make the ministerial changes before the set date.
These
changes also aim at getting rid of the Islamic movement, represented in
the Tajik forces led by General Fahim, after their leader Ahmed Shah
Massoud was assassinated by Taliban.
The
changes come at a time when the Islamic movement is battling with the
Karzai-U.S. alliance over various issues, including whether female TV
presenter should go on air wearing the traditional Islamic head covers
on air, as well as mixed schools and universities.
Analysts
also explain the decision of appointing Sayed Kayan's son ruler of
Kandahar, in which Sunnis are majority and Ismailis are minority, as a
response from Karzai to the pressure of the karim Agha Khan Ismaili
foundation close to the west and who conducted big projects in
Afghanistan, including the university in Kabul.
