Afghanistan Times
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“Today is a day of emotion, unity, and glee”
KABUL: The former President Hamid Karzai on Thursday once again welcomed Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the leader of Hezb-e-Islami to Kabul. In a gathering in Presidential Palace to welcome Hekmatyar, Karzai said “today is a day of emotion, unity, and at the same time it is a delight day.”
“I wish Ustad Burhanuddin Rabbani, the former president, and Head of High Peace Council, and other Jihad leaders, could be alive today to see this day,” he said, referring to the peace deal with the HIA party. He added “today we have to put ideology and other differences aside, and work for the country stability and prosperity.”
Regarding the Taliban insurgents he said, “I received several criticisms for calling Taliban as “brothers” many criticized me for calling them as brothers.
“I called Taliban as ‘brothers’ all time. When they killed my brother, I called them brothers. When Ustad Rabban martyred on path of peace I called them “brothers”. But when they killed our 150 soldiers, I decided not to call them brothers.”
Since Hekmatyar during his speech called Taliban as “brothers”, Karzai said after this he would call Taliban as compatriots.
Moreover he called on the Taliban insurgents to renounce violence if they group willing to see American out of the country.
