[ Afghan Elections 2004-2005 ]

A dissident group of Hizb-e Islami said it supports the candidacy of Karzai in the upcoming presidential election, Hindukosh News Agency reported on 5 October. Khaled Faruqi, chairman of the splinter Hizb-e Islami, said that Karzai was the most suitable person to run Afghanistan, adding that his party wants the future Afghan leader to bear in mind the objectives of the jihad and observe Islamic values. "All Afghans and especially the Hizb-e Islami party should vote for Hamid Karzai," Faruqi said, according to "The Christian Science Monitor" on 6 October. The main branch of Hizb-e Islami, led by former Afghan prime minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, is an ally of the neo-Taliban and Al-Qaeda. The splinter group of the party is an officially registered political party in Afghanistan (for a list of Afghan political parties, see RFE/RL's special website on the elections at http://www.azadiradio.org/en/specials/elections/). (Amin Tarzi)