By Mir Agha Samimi
April 30, 2012: The banner reads: 28th and 27th April are two shameful stains in our history! Hundreds gathered in Kabul to condemn these dark days. (Photo: BBC Persian)
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The Meshrano Jirga, or upper house of parliament, on Tuesday sought the suspension of the Solidarity Party of Afghanistan (SPA) for calling Mujideen’s Victory Day a day of national mourning.
During a demonstration in Kabul last month, activists of the party characterised mujideen’s victory as a black day in the country’s history. They also slammed the communist-led coup against President Daud Khan on April 28, 1978 as a black day.
After mujahideen captured Kabul in 1992, then president Dr. Najibullah was prevented from fleeing the country. He took refuge in the UN compound, where he lived until September 1996, when Taliban wrested the city from Ahmad Shah Masood.
The Taliban immediately executed Dr. Najibullah and his brother, hanging their bodies in the heart of the capital. Most of Kabul was devastated and thousands of Afghans were killed as a result of internecine fighting among mujahideen factions.
While calling for the prosecution of all war criminals, the SPA says it has denounced both events due to the large-scale devastation and massacre they caused.
On the other hand, a Senate commission claimed the SPA demand was tantamount to insulting the lofty spirit of the jihad against the Soviet troops and a violation of Article 59 of the constitution.
Under the relevant article, no one can misuse constitutionally-mandated freedoms to act in a way that is detrimental to the country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity
In a letter to the ministries of justice and interior, the Senate’s Legislative and Judicial Affairs Commission asked for an investigation into the issue. Till the completion of the probe by the Attorney General Office, the party should stay suspended, it suggested.
SPA leadership council member Hafizullah Rasekh told Pajhwok Afghan News the party had not been suspended. However, he acknowledged receiving a letter from the Ministry of Justice that said the party’s officials had been introduced to the AG Office.
He repudiated lawmakers’ claims that the party had called the Mujahideen Victory Day a day of mourning, saying they had a lot of respect for jihad and some members of the party had taken part in the holy war.
“The day is not an independence day. Everyone knows about the results of that day. We don’t want to insult the jihad. We respect it, but we want all those elements who misused the jihad and committed crimes against humanity should be brought to justice,” he continued.
Rasekh said his party members had the courage to explain their positions to court on the issue. He recalled thousands of Kabul citizens were killed and many had nails hammered in their heads over the past three decades.