Never said Abdullah wears lipstick: Mohammadi

KABUL (Pajhwok): Former defence minister Besmillah Mohammadi has denied saying that Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr. Abdullah wears lipstick.

With the presidential election campaign having hit a fever pitch, some candidates have resorted to leveling wild allegations against their rivals in a bid to damage their reputation.

Wrong information:

Razzaq Mamoon, an Afghan writer and journalist living abroad, wrote on Tuesday a piece, quoting Gen. Besmillah as saying: “O, God! This political leader uses lipstick.”

Mamnoon published the piece on a website called Afghanistan News Report. The report said Mohammadi attempted to reveal Abdullah’s background because he had been unhappy with him.

The report reads: “This political leader (Abdullah) wears lipstick and make-up? The leader goes to salon and has spent five years in office doing these things. What a shame that people like Ustad Atta and Qanuni follow him!”

The report said Mohammadi made the remarks at a gathering at his home in the Sherpur neighbourhood of Kabul.

The reported quoted Mohammadi as saying: “Abdullah is trying to achieve something that God has not created him for (presidency).”

The article says: “I dedicated the entire Defense Ministry against rules and laws in favour of this man. Afghan National Army (ANA) units rigged the election for him.

“Helicopters were at his disposal. ANA officers opposed Ghani campaigners in many areas; we did not even transport electoral materials to areas where Ghani had more influence.”

The article, which also appeared in some other media outlets, was shared by Facebook users.

Correct information:

Hamid Salangi, a close relative of Mohammadi, quoted the former minister on his Facebook page as saying: “I recently saw an article by Mamoon who quoted my statement out of context about Dr. Abdullah.

“I condemn it in the strongest terms. The accusations are baseless and are aimed only at creating divisions.

“My relationship with Abdullah spans more than 40 years and I will not break it with such propaganda. Besmillah Mohammadi.”

Shafiq Salangi, Mohammadi’s media manager, endorsed Salangi’s statement and accused Mamoon of defaming personalities. What Mamoon wrote about Abdullah was baseless, he insisted.

He slammed the article as a conspiracy against Mohammadi and said the ex-minister would lodge a complaint against the writer.

Fact-check result:

Pajhwok Afghan News assesses presidential candidates’ promises and explains how viable they are or in which category they are placed in terms of accuracy.

Pajhwok findings show the article published by Mamoon about Dr. Abdullah is baseless.

Khuwaja Basir Fitri

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