Afghan President Asharf Ghani

Afghan President lauds parliament attack hero, UN envoy hails Afghan forces

June 23, 2015June 23, 2015 - by India Writes Network

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has lauded Esa Khan, the Afghan soldier who killed six of the seven insurgents who tried to storm parliament on June 22, as a hero and honoured him by presenting him with a new home.
Mr Ghani tweeted a picture of himself greeting the soldier, Esa Khan, who will be promoted and given a medal. The Afghan security forces also got rich praise from the UN envoy to Afghanistan.
After a Taliban suicide bomber and six gunmen carried out a brazen attack on Afghanistan’s parliament on June 22, which killed two and injured dozens, the United Nations Envoy to Afghanistan Nicholas Haysom said that Afghan security forces were undeniably stretched amid ongoing threats from Taliban insurgents and Islamic State militants for establishing their foothold in the country.

Afghanistan will not allow proxy war, non-state actors: Afghan President

November 26, 2014November 26, 2014 - by Manish Chand

No eye contact between the leaders of India and Pakistan at a summit that was supposed to toast regional solidarity and take small but significant steps towards regional integration. In the end, it was Afghanistan’s new president Ashraf Ghani to speak some home truths. Making his debut at the SAARC summit, Mr Ghani made it clear that he would not allow his country to become a battleground of a proxy war as he warned against the dangers posed by non-state actors trying to usurp the agenda –- a none-too-veiled reference to Pakistan’s alleged sponsorship of terror outfits.
He did not mention Pakistan by name, but everybody knew who he was pointing finger at when he underlined that the state sponsorship of non-state actors could have damaging effects. “It should be clear that such measures have blowback effects, destabilising the state system,” Mr Ghani said. He also made it clear that his country, which is on the cusp of a transformational journey as foreign combat troops withdraw from Afghanistan this year, will not provide sanctuaries for terror groups.
In so far as feel-good rhetoric goes, these platitudes are fine, but it’s time for the SAARC to move beyond mere declaration and deliver security and prosperity to its millions of the deprived and the downtrodden across the region.