Bay Area residents react to Afghan official's ouster
Aman Mehrzai
Inside Bay Area
03/24/2006
President Karzai reshuffles his cabinet to remove dissidents
from power
By , CORRESPONDENT
FREMONT — Days after visiting Fremont, the
foreign minister of Afghanistan has been replaced by an Afghan-German
official.
Rangeen Dadfar-Spanta, former presidential adviser on foreign
affairs, will replace Dr. Abdullah, pending approval from the
Afghan parliament.
The change was part of Afghan President Hamid
Karzai's efforts to reshuffle his entire cabinet, the first
such move since last year's parliamentary elections.
In a visit to Fremont on Friday, Abdullah warned
Afghan Americans of a continued threat to the stability of their
homeland, despite positive steps to curb escalating violence
in the southeastern part of the country.
Several times throughout his speech, Abdullah
blamed Pakistan for not making a serious effort to control cross-border
attacks by local Pashtuns and foreign fighters from Pakistan's
unruly Northwestern frontier province, which borders Afghanistan.
The replacement of Abdullah has sparked outrage
among some East Bay Afghan Americans who feel the move is an
effort by Karzai to remove all former mujahedeen— "freedom
fighters"— from power, an act U.S. officials havesupported.
"Who kicked the Taliban and al-Qaida out
of power?" asked Aziz Omar, owner of the popular restaurant
De-Afghanan in the Centerville district of Fremont. "It
was the Northern Alliance, and Dr. Abdullah is one of those
who gave Afghanistan our independence."
The reason for Abdullah's removal might stem from
his criticism of Pakistan, Omar said. "(It) is just an
effort by the Karzai regime to appease Pakistan and America."
Another East Bay man who wished to remain anonymous
believes Karzai next will target other office holders, to rid
the government of those connected to the Northern Alliance.
"It is known that Dr. Abdullah is on bad
terms with Pakistan," said a male Fremont resident. "They
will go from top to bottom. Next it will be the governors and
anyone else involved with the mujahedeen."
Atiqullah Atifmal, the Afghan consulate general
of Los Angeles, disputes the idea.
"This is not an effort to remove any of the
former mujahedeen of Afghanistan," said Atifmal. "It
is simply for the betterment of the government and for the people
of Afghanistan."
The only warlord remaining in Karzai's cabinet
is Herat's Ismail Khan.
Sa'id Tayeb-Jawad, Afghan ambassador to the United
States, said such cabinet reshuffling is common in the Karzai
regime.
"This is not new," said the ambassador.
"This is a part of the democratic process. The president
has made his decision, and now it will go to the parliament
for approval."
Fremont resident Faridoon Ahrary said he felt
Abdullah's removal was needed.
"Change is good," said Ahrary. "We
constantly need change in Afghanistan to bring fresh minds with
fresh perspectives (for) progress."
Abdullah, who has been visiting Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice in Washington, D.C., this week, might return
to Afghanistan by Friday, said Ashraf Haidari, Afghanistan's
first secretary of political affairs.
Abdullah could not be reached for comment. Sources
say he was offered several lower positions in the government
but refused.
Other removed cabinet officials include
Massouda Jalal, who ran against Karzai in 2004, the first woman
to ever run for president.
