Facebook tension between Saleh, Mohaqiq heightens

KABUL (Pajhwok): Exchange of vicious words, harsh and distractive sentences between the senior members of State Builder and Stability and Partnership election teams has remained highly debate news on facebook on Sunday.

Amrullah Saleh, first vice president nominee for the State Builder team in his fresh facebook post four hours ago wrote: (At the core crisis of Stability and Partnership team “One of the core member questioned that Hazara ethnic group participation in demonstrations may be lesser. The tope core member answered that their presence or absence is a separate matter but their right is at the scale of their nose. When God was distributing noses among humans, Hazara received a small nose in his turn and was told you wish to have nose or not, it is up to you. All were laughing and this was the example of people who want to display partnership.”

He added: “If the court or Attorney General Office wishes to investigate these racist statements, I will provide evidence in this regard. That team has everything apart from Stability and Partnership. With these fetid words doing politics is a shameful claim. The participants of the meeting were member of the parliament and some government officials.”

Haji Mohaqiq, member and supporter of the Stability and Partnership team responded to Saleh’s post with demolishing words.

In his response published one hour earlier, he wrote to Amrullah Saleh: “Some senior members of the Tabut Saaz —- Coffin maker—team should tell newly matured member that honour is not linked with nose but moral and humanity. You may be careful about yourself that after all these petty services you are considered few clubs cards or may be two clubs card.”

The use of insulting and derogatory words from the nominees and supporters of these two teams against each other is not a new topic, but it started from the day one of their election campaign.

According to Pajhwok Afghan News report words like, mendacious, murderer, harmful, schismatic, mad, Chainakipaz, traitor, brain-dead, fraud and rebellion are exchanged among some presidential candidates and their supporters throughout the election campaign in violation to the campaign code of conduct.

Expectation of people from candidates, their supporters

The use of derogatory and insulting words from the two senior members of election teams happened when the Independent Election Commission part A of code of conducts announced in August this year stressed over the principle of sincerity, respect for personality and political freedom in the limits of law.

Shah Hussain Murtazavi, advisor the president in cultural affairs, on his facebook page wrote: “Don’t make second Rawanda from Afghanistan, the experience of Kabul war is enough for all. Hate messages from every address are destructive.”

He wrote in another post: “Afghanistan has a long history, came up from the core of crisis, but its people from Bamyan to the peaks of Badakhshan, from the deserts of Helmand to Farah, Nimroz and from Faryab to Kunar and Nangahar are desperate for Afghanistan and their heart go out for this country.”

He continued: “Language, sect, ethnicity and tribe should not be used as tool for the success of an individual. Using them as tool from every source is a national treason.”

He asked election candidates not to allow their supporters to create this situation as part of their election campaign.

Lawmaker Mohammad Arif Rahamani also shared his view on this topic and told Amrullah Saleh: “Recalling this story for the sake of grabbing a high profile chair in this world is the reminder of bitter memory for me Hazara and worse than hundreds of criminal cases made against Hazar individuals for alleged spying to foreign countries. You have to be careful we will never forget this humiliation, but that if this writing is eliminated right now and apology is sought from Hazara people for the insult to them.”

Abaul Razaq Wahidi, a former minister of Communication and Information Technology, wrote on his Facebook page: “Standards of humanity is in the superiority of thoughts and commitment to human and moral values not in low to tall nose. What so if an elephant has a long nose tail.”

Behnud, a Facebook user in this regard wrote, “Insulting the ethnicity, regligon, tribe and lauguage is insulting humunity. No language or tribe is bad, what makes a man ugly is bad morals, inhuman acts, lack of knowledge and level of awarences.”

However, Amrullah Saleh, in response to a number of Facebook users who urged him to apologize to the Hazara tribe, wrote: “The Stability and Partnership electoral team should seek apology from the people of Afghanistan, particularly from the respected Hazara people.

Saleh added that Mr. Mohaqiq is known as internally displaced person from ‘Peace and Moderation’ election team who joined the Stability and Partnership team. He as usual not using respective words for me, Dubbed me as two clubs cards at a time when I’m not a card player and did not understand this insult. I could literally understand this was an insult and I will not retaliate in the same manner. I will prefer political silence and would wish to be unsuccessful in understanding such political terminology.  

Election experts

Electoral watchdog Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan (FEFA) head Yousuf Rashid told Pajhwok: “We are in a very crucial time. Our society has been much affected. If our politicians make a small mistake, it would have a huge negative impact on the election result.”

He said the country’s political figures should promote a culture that contributed to enhancing transparency of the elections and to avoid speeches that confused people’s minds.

Meanwhile, Shahla Farid, a Law and Political Science teacher at Kabul University, told Pajhwok some presidential candidates used to cross the limit and mouthed to insult their opponents.

Electoral bodies’ view

Electoral bodies said uttering humiliating and insulting words by candidates against each other was not only an outright violation of the law but also a question mark on their human dignity and in no way justified.

Ahmadzai

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