Ripples from a murder

The ripples from the recent killing of a parliamentary candidate in Mazar-i-Sharif continue to grow. Ashraf Ramazan was killed with his bodyguard on 27 September, and the protests at his death have been gathering momentum. Already on the day after his death mourners took to the street in protest, demanding that his killers be swiftly found and tried.

Today, hundreds of protesters in Mazar blocked the main road from Kabul and from Mazar airport into the city. Ed and I had set off for Mazar at 6:30 am this morning, but we were warned by radio of the road block and only reached as far as Pul-i-Khumri. We had lunch there, and headed straight back on the 6 hour journey to Kabul.
However, there are protests in Kabul also, for the same reason, and the latest news is that the Taliban have claimed responsibility for his death.

According to RZ, who we spoke to from Pul-i-Khumri, the protest in Mazar is not limited to the Hazara or Shi’ite minority who would form his most natural constituency. Ramazan belonged to the minority Shi’ite Wahdat party, and was ethnically a Hazara, but seems to have been generally liked in Mazar.

Ramazan was said to have been in fifth position in the vote count for the Balkh province elections, which would have given him one of the eleven district seats in the new parliament. The results of the elections are due to be announced only on 22 October, but a lot of the experts have already been wondering whether the “assassination clause” in the electoral law was a good idea. This clause stipulates that if a winning candidate dies, his seat passes to the runner up candidate.

The protests and roadblocks in Mazar are expected to continue for some days, but it remains to be seen whether the start of the fasting month of Ramadan tomorrow will have an effect.

Protesters are demanding the resignation of the provincial governor, Mohammed Atta, as it seems to many that he could well be behind the killings. There’s an article by Christian Parenti here which gives an idea of how life and the rule of law are respected under Atta’s regime.

“As a prelude to becoming governor here, the warlord Mohammed Atta had his men lay siege to the home and offices of a rival, the provincial security chief Gen. Mohammed Akram Khakrizwal, who is almost universally acknowledged to be an honest man committed to the rule of law. Police loyal to Khakrizwal were driven away, and an armed standoff ensued for the next twenty days.

During the siege, Khakrizwal was resupplied with food and water by the small garrison of British troops stationed here, but the foreign soldiers were unable or unwilling to intervene further. Eventually some accommodation was reached and Mohammed Atta was appointed governor of Balkh province.”

The current regime in Afghanistan does seem to be dangerously conciliatory towards such thugs – the only occasion in which I have seen Atta was at a dinner at the Indian Embassy celebrating India’s Independence, at which he was an honoured guest.