(MENAFN- Pajhwok Afghan News) (Pajhwok): (HIA) leader Gulbadin Hekmatyar on Saturday said Afghanistan needed a strong central government, asking the international community to stop foreigners and neighbors from interfering in the country's internal affairs.
Speaking to a group of foreign and local journalists at his residence in Kabul, the HIA leader said he had not yet decided about contesting the next presidential election. However, he said the next president would be the person who had the HIA support.
Hekmatyar once again reiterated his party's desire of complete peace in the country and an end to the decades long conflict.
He said his party had not decided to join the government but they had also no intention to derail the system and his party would allow no one to reach the power through illegal means.
Hekmatyar also rejected any increase in the United States (US) troops in Afghanistan as he said elections were the only way to bring stability to the war-torn country. He said without elections, it was not possible to bring peace and stability to the country.
The former warlord said the US would be wrong to send more American troops to Afghanistan as he believed the current war could not be won by increasing the number of foreign troops. 'We want the international community to help Afghans stop foreigners and neighbours from interfering,' he added.
Hekmatyar dismissed fears that IS fighters, on the back foot in Iraq and Syria, were arriving in Afghanistan. 'The Daesh (IS) fighters in Afghanistan used to be with the ,' he claimed, adding that they had just changed the flag they were fighting under.
In a reference to recent political alliance between first VP Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum, second CEO and the Balkh governor, Hekmatyar said high ranking government officials were making alliances against the government in order to threaten and show their power.
He said billions of dollars had been looted by government officials and thousands of acres of land usurped, but the country's courts seemed helpless.
Hekmatyar also said it was a big mistake by the former US president Barack Obama to strike the unity government deal after the disputed elections in Afghanistan, saying today's political crisis was a result of the deal.
He said his party was ready to cooperate with the government unconditionally in bringing about peace and stability and maintaining security of major projects.
The HIA leader said there were some political parties who worked for foreign interest and wanted to prolong the war and create hurdles for key projects.
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