You turn to us for voices you won't hear anywhere else.

Sign up for Democracy Now!'s Daily Digest to get our latest headlines and stories delivered to your inbox every day.

Tribal Leaders Pour Into Kabulto Begin the Loya Jirga Process That Will Determine Afghanistan’s Future

Related

Delegates at Afghanistan’s traditional assembly, or Loya Jirga, are threatening to walk out in fury after the former king Mohammed Zahir Shah announced he will not be a candidate for head of state.

Zahir Shah made the announcement under heavy US pressure. The US feared Zahir Shah’s candidacy could scuttle interim President Hamid Karzai’s chances of becoming leader. The battle over the Shah’s role plunged the Loya Jirga into chaos and delayed the proceedings yesterday.

Pashtun delegates expressed shock at the announcement. One told the London Independent: “We want the king as a candidate. How can this be [a] step towards democracy? What kind of a democracy is this?”

Guest:

  • Philip Smucker, reporter for the Christian Science Monitor in Kabul.

Related link:

Music:

  • War Of The Flea–Holly Near, Early Warnings (Appleseed Recordings).

Related Story

StorySep 01, 2023Biden Administration Sued as Thousands of Afghan Evacuees Are Detained Overseas Waiting for U.S. Entry
The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us.

Non-commercial news needs your support

We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work.
Please do your part today.
Make a donation
Top