Departing Afghan Interior Minister Won't Seek New Government Post

EurasiaNet: Many people thought your talk at Loya Jirga was very emotional and meaningful. What was the point were you were trying to convey with your announcement?
Qanooni: You know, I am so personally involved in the different stages of the peace and reconstruction that it's almost impossible not to become emotional in moments like this. I was at [the UN conference on Afghanistan in] Bonn and played a major role in the conference as far as the discussions and the agreements that were reached. In a way, I am personally bound up with what follows and that puts an additional responsibility on my shoulders. I have no attachment to official positions. If my holding of office helps Afghanistan, I'll do it; if resigning from it helps remove obstacles, we will do that too. In the days leading up to the Loya Jirga, some confusion had been created about the presence of a group of people in the government. This kind of talk could create some misunderstanding and the country can not afford division and disunity at this moment. So in the interest of unity, I offered to resign from my post.

EurasiaNet: Was it planned like this?
Qanooni: No. We didn't think it was a serious issue. But doing so also sets a precedent for everyone: that you should leave office like other countries.

EurasiaNet: By "group of people," I assume you are referring to the Panjshiri Tajiks?
Qanooni: Yes, that's right. Some people, who are not familiar with the situation, think the Panjshiris are a bunch of power-hungry individuals that appeared out of nowhere and took over everything. This is not true. First, Panjshiris have given a lot in defending the country. For many years we fought almost alone against the Taliban and the bin Laden group. We made many sacrifices. Everyone knows that. We only want peace.

EurasiaNet: Why did you choose the opening day to announce your resignation?
Qanooni: It was a good time to do that. There were questions I needed to clarify.