Gulbuddin Hekmatyar enters Afghan presidential race

KABUL: Former warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar entered Afghanistan’s presidential race on Saturday in a new challenge to President Ashraf Ghani who allowed him to return from exile two decades after he was forced out by the Taliban.

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar led fighters during the civil war of the 1990s and has remained a divisive figure since his return from exile in 2016.

His decision to contest the presidential polls in July is seen by analysts as the ex-warlord’s attempt legitimize his Hizb-i-Islami party.

In 2003, the US State Department listed him as a terrorist, accusing him of taking part in and supporting attacks by al Qaeda and the Taliban. But Washington later welcomed Ghani’s decision to sign a peace deal with Hekmatyar.

In 2016, President Ghani’s government granted immunity to Hekmatyar but the former warlord has been critical of his administration and the parliamentary election process in 2018.

Announcing his candidacy, Hekmatyar pledged to restore peace and security and said the current government had failed to end the war with the Taliban.

“Our country’s situation requires a powerful central government lead by an elected president supported by the majority of people,” he told a news conference in Kabul.

The July election faces serious security challenges with the Taliban threatening large parts of the country.

The polls will be a crucial test for election officials who were criticized for failing to conduct free and fair parliamentary elections last October. The 2014 presidential election won by Ghani was also tainted by accusations of widespread cheating.