KABUL: A former Afghan warlord who battled US forces after the 2001 invasion and nursed bitter rivalries with other militant factions before signing a peace deal with the Afghan government appeared in public for the first time in more than 20 years on Saturday and called for peace.

Gulbadin Hekmatyar, who leads the Islamist organisation Hezb-i-Islami, appeared in a gathering organised by provincial officials in eastern Laghman province in which locals and government officials were present. He told the crowd in a televised appearance: “Let’s join hands to end war and bring peace in Afghanistan.”

The United Nations removed Hekmatyar’s name from its terrorist sanctions list in February and his assets were unfrozen. He is no longer subject to a travel ban or arms embargo.

Former warlord says only Afghans can bring peace to their country

In his remarks, Hekmatyar called on all militant groups to end the war and join the peace process in Afghanistan. He pointed to a recent attack by Taliban fighters on an army base in northern Balkh province, saying: “We cannot tolerate such a war and killing of Muslims inside a mosque while they are praying to Allah.”

He said only Afghans could bring peace and stability to the country, not foreigners.

In September, President Ashraf Ghani signed a peace treaty with Hekmatyar in which the former pledged to lobby the US and the UN to remove him and his party from terrorist blacklists. Hekmatyar signed the agreement via video link to the presidential palace. The ceremony was broadcast live on TV.

In a ceremony held on Saturday marking the 25th anniversary of the mujahideen’s victory over forces of the Soviet Union, Abdullah Abdullah, the country’s chief executive officer, said he was happy that Hekmatyar had embraced peace.

Abdullah said that as a result of the agreement signed earlier, Hekmatyar “is in his own country and on his own soil, proudly among his own people and the Afghan people have welcomed him, too”.

“We hope that this would be an example for others,” he added.

During his days as a warlord, Hekmatyar’s Hezb-i-Islami forces were largely confined to two provinces and they have carried out few attacks in recent years.

His hideout over the years was unknown, but he was thought to be somewhere in eastern Kunar province, where he enjoyed popular support.

As a politician, he served twice as prime minister during the Afghan civil war. The 25-point peace agreement gives him and his followers immunity for past actions and grants them full political rights.

Hekmatyar, one of the most influential leaders in the fight against Soviet forces in the 1980s, took part in the civil war that erupted after the Soviet withdrawal, clashing with the Northern Alliance. He was driven out when the Taliban seized power in 1996, but returned to fight the US, vowing to resist foreign occupation.

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2017