The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in a statement on Wednesday said that “the UAE has welcomed President Ashraf Ghani and his family into the country on humanitarian grounds.”
Social media users started a hashtag trend, calling on Interpol to arrest Ghani.
The ambassador for the former Afghan government in Tajikistan, Zahir Aghbar, removed Ghani’s portrait from his office and asked Interpol to arrest Ghani.
“Anyone can leave, but I am not the one to leave. Here (Afghanistan) is my home and grave,” Ghani said at a speech at Kabul University earlier this year.
“He left people to an uncertain situation and there was a power gap. It is extremely regrettable. It shows an extreme lack of commitment,” said Mehrabuddin, Kabul resident.
“The way he left the people is shameful,” said Ahmad Basit, a Kabul resident.
Moreover, Amrullah Saleh said in a tweet on Tuesday that in the absence, resignation, escape or death of the president, he is “the legitimate caretaker president of Afghanistan” according to the country’s constitution.
“The money that was sent to assist Afghans was taken out by the leader and his partners in crime. I hope he is taken to the international court,” Aghbar said.
Former US president Donald Trump criticized Ghani for leaving his country.
“I never had a lot of confidence, frankly, in Ghani,” Trump said.
“I said that openly and plainly. I thought he was a total crook. I thought he got away with murder,” he added. “He spent all his time wining and dining our senators. The senators were in his pocket. That was one of the problems that we had, but I never liked him, and I guess based on his escape with cash, I don’t know, maybe that’s a true story. I would suspect it is.”
Lawyers said that based on national and international laws Ghani and his aides are guilty of looting public property and international countries should cooperate in bringing them to justice.
“The country where Ashraf Ghani lives, wherever he is–and the UN–has the responsibility to address Ghani’s case. At least it will result in the return of Afghanistan’s property,” said Arash Shahirpor, a university lecturer and lawyer.
The location of Ghani’s spouse Rula Ghani and the former second vice president Sarwar Danesh is not clear. But Ghani’s first vice president Saleh has said he is in Afghanistan.
