Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai, in an interview with the Associated Press on Tuesday, said that the presidential elections are bound to plunge Afghanistan deeper into violence.
Karzai wants peace talks with the Taliban, and not presidential elections. He spoke critically of President Ashraf Ghani, a leading contender, saying that he is the architect of chaos and is prolonging the war by insisting on the election.
Karzai has been using his considerable political influence to rally like-minded Afghan leaders against Ghani.
Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for the Presidential Palace, rejected Karzai’s remarks on Wednesday, calling them “untenable and unwarranted,” adding, “the election will show the resolve of the people.”
Karzai has called for a quick return to the peace talks that were scuttled earlier this month. US President Trump declared the talks “dead” following a Taliban-claimed attack that killed at least 11 people in Kabul, including a US soldier.
