Nine months after he stepped down, former president Hamid Karzai still enjoys a formidable, lingering presence in Afghanistan's political arena and his influence and interventions are increasingly seen as a threat to his country's political stability, observers have said.
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Although Karzai has kept a leash on the erratic behaviour that irked his international partners during his near decade-long rule, many have raised questions over his attempts to cast himself as a 'genial statesman and supposed unifier' of the country, reported The Guardian.
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A senior western diplomat said that the leader has been trying for months to undercut the incumbent Ashraf Ghani's leadership, which has failed to deliver on its promises to revive the economy, struggled to appoint officials to key security positions and risked significant political capital by making overtures to Pakistan. He added that if the current regime is toppled, an interim government would likely be given charge and Karzai would step forward to fill the vacuum as the 'self-styled father of the nation'.
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While Ghani is aware of Karzai's intentions, he has been trying to avoid an open clash that he might not win. "In the political game, Karzai is leagues ahead of almost everyone else here," the diplomat said.
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A presidential aide, who regularly meets Karzai, said that while the former leader knows everyone in the country, Ghani does not.
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Aimal Faizi, a long-time aide of the former president, noted that meeting tribal leaders and elders from around the country was nothing new for Karzai, adding that the meetings have been a ritual for the last 14 years. However, he also said that 'the strong bond' between Karzai and Afghan elders and leaders from all around the country could not be ignored by either side.
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Aides and analysts believe that if Ghani tried to send a message to Karzai to back off, the latter is unlikely to comply. Many believe that he is positioning himself as the only viable alternative to a government that has so far failed to deliver.
