The warning from the Jamiat-e Islami party came after Ghani removed Atta Mohammad Noor as governor of Balkh, a strategic northern province bordering Afghanistan’s Central Asian neighbors Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Describing the dismissal as a “unilateral decision” by Ghani, Jamiat’s leadership called into question the legitimacy of the unity government formed after a disputed presidential election of 2014. Abdullah, who has regularly clashed with Atta Noor, has made no public comment on his dismissal. The move to oust Atta Noor, one of a group of powerful regional strongmen, followed calls from politicians including former President Hamid Karzai for a loya jirga, or grand assembly of elders and political leaders to discuss the future of the government. US scuttled Afghan peace push: SartajThis month, Atta Noor was prevented from attending a meeting in the southern city of Khandahar to discuss the loya jirga proposal.

Source: The Express Tribune December 20, 2017 11:03 UTC