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KABUL: Controversy started Wednesday to swirl around the removal of first vice president Gen. Dustom’s photo from the background of a group photo of 2nd vice president Danesh on Tuesday.
Office of Gen. Dustom has sought for conviction of those responsible for the travesty. “In these circumstances of the country, such action will spark tension in the government leadership,” it said in a statement.
Ihsan Niro, spokesperson of first vice president’s office said, “We emphasize on an immediate prosecution of those who have done this wittingly or unwittingly to prevent similar future incidents”. The move has also set off criticism in social media.
In reaction to the criticism, office of 2nd VP Danesh issued an apology and reposted the original photo with Gen. Dustom’s banner photo in the background.
Mohammad Hedayat, media advisor of Sarwar Danish said the removal of Gen. Dustom’s photo was not intentional. “This has never been intentional, but a mistake at the whim of our technical team. We have apologized for it,” he said.
The picture was taken in the vice presidents palace earlier on Tuesday after signing of resolution of “international coalition of press freedom” by VP Danish in attendance of Canadian and British ambassadors.
A day after, the British Embassy in Kabul posted a picture with Gen. Dustom’s photo in the background, which was the beginning of the contention.
Fiddling around with high-profile group photos and official meetings occasionally has precedence in Afghanistan. The Presidential Palace in October 2017 tampered with a photo of an official meeting of president Ghani and chief executive Abdullah with the former US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
