Powerful governor in Afghanistan steps down

By Shadi Khan Saif

KABUL, Afghanistan (AA) - Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on Monday approved the resignation of governor of northern Balkh province, who occupied the post for over a decade.

As one of the leading former Mujahedeen commanders and chief executive of the leading Jamiat-e-Islami party, Atta Mohammad Noor has long been at odds with the president over various issues.

A statement released by the Presidential Palace said Ghani has ‘approved’ the resignation of Noor from his official post, without mentioning when and why the longstanding governor of the strategically important province resigned.

Since 2004, Noor had been the governor of the province, and was pronounced locally as so-called ‘Emperor of the North’ over his clout in that part of the country.

Noor’s Jamiat party has been in power since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001. He is likely to state his stance and future strategy later today.

Earlier this year, Noor bypassed Ghani’s power-sharing Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Abdullah Abdullah -- who is also associated with Jamiat party -- to enter formal negotiations over power-sharing matters, but the negotiations ended without any results.

He then formed a new anti-government coalition together with the Vice President Abdul Rasheed Dostum and Deputy CEO Mohammad Mohaqiq.

Parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place in Afghanistan next year, and next presidential elections are due in 2019.