Afghanistan/Pakistan

Suicide bomber kills eight, demos likely against Karzai term extension

Article published on the 2009-03-30 Latest update 2009-03-30 17:11 TU

Afghan President Hamid Karzai
(Credit: Reuters)

A suicide bomber has killed eight people in southern Afghanistan, as international politicians travel to the Netherlands for a conference on the wartorn country. Opposition politicians have threatened demonstrations against a court decision to prolong President Hamid Karzai’s term until an election in August.

Five policemen and three civilians are reported to have been killed in the suicide attack on a government compound in the Dand district of the southern province of Kandahar. The continuing Taliban insurgency, especially in the south and east of the country, will be under the spotlight at the conference in the Hague Tuesday.

So will the legitimacy of President Hamid Karzai’s government, recently slammed as corrupt and inefficient by the administration of US President Barack Obama.

On Sunday Afghanistan’s Supreme Court extended Karzai’s term of office until August, when a presidential election is due to be held. The court said in a letter that its decision was based on the interests of national stability, according to a translation issued by Karzai’s office.

Karzai unsuccesfully tried to call the election for April, since the constitution states that it must take place 30-60 days before the end of the previous term.

"The Supreme Court decision is unacceptable," Sayed Aqa Fazil Sancharaki,of the National Front coalition of several opposition groups, told the AFP news agency.

Sancharaki said he expected public demonstrations in the coming days over the move.

Karzai is expected to stand for re-election. "He can't stay in power while himself being a candidate," Sancharaki said.

Likely challengers for Karzai's job include former Interior Minister Ali Ahmad Jalali and ex-Finance Ministers Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai and Anwar ul-Haq Ahadi. The National Front is likely to pick former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, according to Sancharaki.

After announcing his new plan for Afghanistan on Friday, US President Barack Obama repeated calls on neighbouring Pakistan to end alleged co-operation with the Taliban. But he told CBS television that ground troops would not pursue fighters into Pakistani territory without Pakistani permission.

Asked if he would send US troops on the ground into militant safe havens inside Pakistan, Obama answered,  "No. Our plan does not change the recognition of Pakistan as a sovereign government,"

US drones frequently attack targets in Pakistan, giving rise to charges of violations of sovereignty.

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, on Fox News TV, called on Pakistan’s intelligence service, the ISI, to cut contacts with armed groups operating in Afghanistan. He dubbed the practice an "existential threat" to Pakistan itself.

Pakistan's Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence has had links with armed Islamists "for a long time, as a hedge against what might happen in Afghanistan if we were to walk away or whatever," he said.

But he added, "They can count on us and they don't need that hedge."