Afghanistan’s ‘King in the North’ ponders presidency bid
Rogue governor who refuses to quit may challenge President Ghani
Afghanistan’s “King in the North” lolls in an armchair under a portrait of President Ashraf Ghani, the man who sacked him last year – and who he may now challenge for the country’s top job.
Atta Noor is refusing to give up the governorship of the northern province of Balkh. Instead, he is using the political crisis to show off his strength, turning him into one of Afghanistan’s best known politicians.
The dispute comes at a bad time for Mr Ghani’s US-backed government, which is facing growing public outrage over recent deadly attacks in Kabul and elsewhere in the war-torn country that have laid bare its inability to protect civilians.
“They think I am a big challenge for the 2019 elections,” said Mr Noor in the lavishly furnished office of the fortified governor’s compound he has been the owner of since 2004.
“I am very honest and that’s why people trust me. This is a very big concern for my political rivals. That is why they tried to isolate me, to decrease my popularity among the people, but it went the other way.”
The decision to try to oust the strongman on December 18 backfired badly on Mr Ghani, who has been criticised for his poor timing and clumsy handling of the issue.
Instead of weakening a rival ahead of the presidential election, Mr Ghani has thrust the more charismatic Mr Noor on to the national stage where he has been capitalising on his newfound exposure.
Meanwhile, the new governor, Mohammad Daud, has been forced to work in Kabul while his predecessor continues to sit in his office in the provincial capital Mazar-i-Sharif, hiring and firing district chiefs as if to signal his authority.
In daily meetings and televised rallies, Mr Noor has been rubbing shoulders with representatives of ethnic groups and political parties.
The schedule, which Mr Noor’s aides say often lasts until the early hours of the morning, underscores the challenge the former anti-Soviet fighter faces to broaden his appeal in a country where ethnic divisions run deep.
“I’m very happy that I’ve done good things and people love me, but these meetings also need a lot of patience,” said Mr Noor, who cuts a dash in a black salwar kameez and matching leather boots.
For weeks, negotiators for Mr Ghani and Mr Noor’s Tajik-dominated Jamiat-e-Islami party have been trying to resolve the conflict that has its roots in the 2014 presidential election results.
Mr Ghani, who belongs to the country’s largest Pashtun ethnic group, took the presidency in a US-brokered power-sharing deal with his rival, Jamiat-backed Abdullah Abdullah, who became chief executive.
Jamiat has accused Mr Ghani of failing to fulfil the terms of the agreement and has made demands to the president’s negotiators, including giving parties more representation in parliament, something that would probably benefit the party.
But as the talks drag on there are fears the crisis could turn violent, sparking calls from the White House and others for a peaceful resolution.
“If Ghani accepts [the demands] then of course we will end the dispute,” Mr Noor said. “If he doesn’t accept, we will change our current soft behaviour.”
In war-torn Afghanistan where security forces are struggling to curb the insurgents, Balkh stands out for its relative peace and prosperity.
Locals said Mr Noor was the reason for their good fortune – an achievement that may make corruption allegations against him easier to overlook in a country where many in public office are seen as dishonest and incompetent.
“He has constructed a lot and the security is good,” Abdul Khalil said as he sat beside a wooden trailer stacked with mandarins in Mazar-i-Sharif, where there are few blast walls and security forces in the streets.
“Everyone is very happy with him.”
Taxi driver Mohammad Hashem described Mr Noor as the perfect governor, as he drove past billboards plastered with portraits of him.
Some question whether the growing support for Mr Noor, said to be one of the richest men in Afghanistan, is genuine or an opportunistic move by people hoping for a slice of his largesse.
But even if his popularity is real, many wonder if it would be possible for a non-Pashtun to win the presidency in a country where political loyalties often run along ethnic lines.
“His growing network of anti-Ghani friends across the country contains a lot of strong, proud Pashtuns who would never endorse a non-Pashtun presidential candidate,” a western official said.
But Mr Noor, who said he would run for the presidency only if Jamiat backed him, is confident Afghan voters would look beyond his Tajik roots.
“The majority of Afghans look at who can serve better, provide services and maintain security,” Mr Noor said. “The people of Afghanistan will vote for that, not for ethnicity.”