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Masood: Broad-based nat'l resistance to lead imminent nationwide uprising against Pakistan and the Taliban
UF conflict free, world and Afg people cognizant of Paki invasion
Continued from our previous issue: In continuation of Omaid Weekly's coverage of the early April European tour of Ahmad Shah Masood, generalissimo of Afghanistan's national resistance force, the following is a summarized translation from the original Dari-Persian text, as compiled by our senior correspondent Wais Nassery, of our transcript from the April 4 press conference, held at 11:30 a.m. in Paris.
Q: Should Europe provide you with military assistance due to the Taliban's general destructive and damaging mindset, as recently demonstrated in the demolition of the [Bamyan Buddha] statues?
A: This decision depends on [government] officials of European countries. Will they support the true desire of the people of Afghanistan or will they be satisfied with only words and observations? (Audience expresses positive reaction.)
Q: You mentioned Pashtoon uprisings against the Taliban. Do you have some kind of network in Qandahar or other Pashtoon inhabited areas?
A: The belief that all Pashtoons are with the Taliban is something with which I do not agree.
You see, His Majesty the former King of Afghanistan, Zaher Shah, is a Pashtoon -- he opposes the Taliban. Dozens of jihad-era Pashtoon commanders inside Afghanistan are currently engaged in resisting against the Taliban.
We have fronts along the border with Pakistan, in Kunar, a region with a 90% Pashtoon population. And very soon you will witness a popular Pashtoon uprising against the Taliban directly on the Pakistani border.
The honorable Commander Arif is a Pashtoon from Qandahar, and belongs to a prominent Pashtoon tribe, the Noorzaii. (Applause from audience.) [eds: Commander Arif Noorzai was part of the delegation that accompanied Ahmad Shah Masood, supreme leader of the United Front (UF), on his European tour.]
Once the people of Afghanistan became aware of the Pakistani invasion, and they witnessed the Taliban's improper actions, they -- Pashtoons, Tajiks, Uzbeks, Hazaras, all of them -- with the passing of each day, the resistance effort has steadily grown stronger among them. And very soon, you will see movements in various areas, especially in Pashtoon inhabited regions.
Q: First, have differences in the UF been resolved? Second, do you believe the attack on Afghanistan's heritage, which is also the world's heritage, brought any change in the international community's dealings with Afghanistan?
A: The UF has a [leadership] council that includes eminent figures from Afghanistan's various ethnic groups. Among them are, for example, the honorable Haji Abdul-Qadir [an ethnic Pashtoon] from Jalalabad, who once headed the councils of four eastern provinces. The honorable Mawlawi Atta Mohammad [an ethnic Pashtoon] from Qandahar; and the honorable [General Sayed Hussein] Anwari from central Afghanistan, an ethnic Hazara, along with the honorable Ustad Khalili, are members of the Leadership Council. Commander Piram Qol from northern Afghanistan (applause from audience), an ethnic Uzbek, along with many of our other Uzbek brothers, are members of the Leadership Council. The honorable Amir Ismail Khan, a veteran mujahid from Heart, is also a member of the Leadership Council.
There are no conflicts among these figures whom I've named -- and the many others whose name time does not allow for me to mention. They are all united, bonded together, and we are all gathered around a single command and center.
As regards the destruction of the Buddha statues, which were unique and priceless specimens of [Afghanistan's] cultural heritage, the incident not only shocked the world but it also caused great anger inside Afghanistan. The Taliban's actions vis-à-vis these statues should serve to fully elucidate, in everyone's mind, the Taliban's true face and their true intentions.
Q: Despite your limited victories, what new developments prompt your optimism about the Taliban's demise?
A: This hope is based on several factors. First, the nation and the people of Afghanistan, from all ethnic groups, have come to fully know the true face of the Taliban. Second, the self-evident Pakistani invasion, the presence of Pakistan [Regular Army] soldiers, and the presence of Taliban from Pakistani religious schools are, day by day, escalating the people's fury against Pakistan and the Taliban.
I am hopeful that sooner or later, the people will join hands in a mass uprising and throw out the invaders.
Afghanistan's history shows that until the people became cognizant of an invasion, the invaders were able to spend a few days in Afghanistan. But once the reality of the invasion was known, the various ethnic groups rallied toward national unity, joined hands, and ejected the invaders from their land.
We have said many times before, and I will repeat that what the British experienced in the past, and the same bitter experience the Red Army repeated more recently, sooner or later Pakistan will also taste the same bitter experience. (Passionate reaction from audience.)
Q: What is the reason for Osama bin Laden's support of the Taliban and what does he have to gain?
A: Firstly, the Taliban's ideology and the ideology of Osama bin Laden are very similar. Secondly, as in the past, the Taliban and Pakistanis are drawing on Osama bin Laden's dollars and assets. Thirdly, with the passage of each day, the Taliban are distancing from the nation of Afghanistan; Mullah Omar is increasingly relying on foreign forces, Pakistani religious schools, the Pakistan Army, and Osama bin Laden's troops. ><
Coverage of the historic visit to
Europe by Ahmad Shah Masood,
supreme leader of Afghanistan's national resistance force
Omaid Weekly's coverage | Press Conference
International news
agencies' coverage | Photographic
coverage
APDA asks US Congress to follow EU's lead
Washington, DC, April 20 (Omaid): In a letter to United States Congressional leaders, the Association for Peace and Democracy for Afghanistan proposed that the US Congress work on a visit by Ahmad Shah Masood, supreme leader of Afghanistan's national resistance force, to the US to speak to the American people.
Sent to Senator Jesse Helms, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Representative Henry Hyde, chairman of the House International Relations Committee, the letter recalled the country's sacrifice against the Soviet Union and Commander Masood's instrumental role in defeating the Red Army, rightly earning him the title of "Victor of the Cold War."
"During those years, Masood together with other patriots not only defended their own land, but they also paid a great service to liberty and the free world."
The APDA, which is the premier Afghan political organization in the West, and de facto sole Afghan political organization composed of intellectuals and technocrats, continued, "Today, too, Ahmad Shah Masood, as supreme commander of the national resistance effort of the people of Afghanistan, is defending not only the territorial integrity of his country against foreign invasion, but he is also fighting against the wicked forces of terrorism and narcotics production and trade, and struggling to establish peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region."
The APDA said the invitation of Cmdr. Masood to Europe by the European Parliament provided a platform for Europeans to better know and understand his goals and objectives.
The letter concluded by proposing to the two chairmen, Sen. Helms and Rep. Hyde, to make possible a visit by Cmdr. Masood to the US to speak to the American people about his experience in successfully fighting the Soviets, and his current struggle to preserve Afghanistan's sovereignty and battle against terrorism and narcotics production and trade. ><
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