Haji Hazrat Ali, a former Afghan political and military figure, has rejected reports that he announced the formation of the “Islamic Solidarity Council of the People of Afghanistan” under his leadership, telling IRAF: “We have not issued such a statement, and we had no intention of announcing this council in this manner.”
Haji Hazrat Ali, a former Afghan political and military figure, has denied claims that he is leading a newly established “Islamic Solidarity Council of the People of Afghanistan,” saying that while his group has a consultative council, no announcement regarding the formation of the council reported by the media was issued by him or his associates.
Speaking to IRAF, Hazrat Ali said: “We have not issued such a statement, and we had no intention of announcing this council in this manner.”
His remarks came after several reports claimed that the “Islamic Solidarity Council of the People of Afghanistan” had been established, with Hazrat Ali named as its leader.
Hazrat Ali said that his group has long maintained a council-based mechanism for consultation and serving the Afghan people, but stressed that it was not responsible for the announcement circulated in the media.
Responding to reports that the council had been formed under his leadership, he said: “We did not do this, and we had no intention of doing so.”
Hazrat Ali also referred to the consultative structure within his group, saying: “We had and have a council and are working to serve our people, but we have no knowledge of this statement that they have issued.”
The former Afghan jihad commander emphasized that decisions within his group are made through consultation. “Whatever we do, we proceed through consultation, but our consultation was not to issue such a statement or announce such a thing,” he said.
Asked whether the council he referred to was the same body as the “Islamic Solidarity Council of the People of Afghanistan,” Hazrat Ali clarified: “The people’s council is the council of all the people of Afghanistan, so that we can serve all the people.”
Hazrat Ali further said that the group under his leadership remains in contact with the people and continues its activities through a consultative approach. He reiterated, however, that the formation and public announcement of the council reported by some media outlets was not carried out by him or by the group under his supervision.
Earlier, several Afghan media outlets had reported that the “Islamic Solidarity Council of the People of Afghanistan” had been formed with the participation of a number of former Afghan political and ethnic figures, with Haji Hazrat Ali reportedly serving as its leader. The reports also named figures including Fazel Ahmad Manawi, Jan Ahmad Haqjo, Asadullah Omerkheil and Ali Akbar Qasemi.
Hazrat Ali has rejected the attribution of the announcement to him, maintaining that he did not issue such a statement and that there had been no decision within his group to announce the council in the manner reported.
