Former president Hamid Karzai on Tuesday urged foreign forces to respect Afghanistan’s national sovereignty, territorial integrity, culture and traditions so the Afghans have no problem with their presence.
The ex-president expressed these views while addressing a gathering marking International Student Day at Kabul University.
He recalled the foreigners had come to Afghanistan to fight extremist groups such as Daesh and play their role in reconstructing the war-torn country. They should peruse their military targets without harming the people of Afghanistan, he said.
Karzai stated that if foreign forces did not do so, they would face tough questions from the Afghans.
The foreigners, he said, had tested Afghans and knew they were bold and brave and would never compromise on their country’s independence.
The ex-president remained a strong critic of foreigners during his stay in power and had lambasted them for not respecting Afghanistan’s sovereignty.
Karzai told the students that education was the only way to achieve progress and development. He said Afghanistan faced a grave unemployment issue.
He said it took 250 years for Europe to join developed countries and China achieved the target in 20 years due to efforts of their young generation.
Mohammad Khan Danishjoy, Afghanistan Youth Society head, said the International Student Day was an occasion in which the youth shared their problems with others and evaluated their performance.
By Ahmad Shah Erfanyar
Editor's note: This article has been edited from the source material
