In a now-deleted tweet, Afghan Embassy in India shamed the former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani for surrendering the government to the Taliban and fleeing Afghanistan.
According to conflicting reports, he is in Uzbekistan but some say he is in Oman from where he has applied for political asylum in the USA.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said that he had fled the country on Sunday to “prevent a flood of bloodshed”, as the Taliban entered the capital, capping a lightning offensive across the country.
This tweet has been deleted. But the journalist in me was too quick. Screenshot below. #Afghanistan #Taliban pic.twitter.com/TZtG4sBkdV
— James Oaten (@james_oaten) August 16, 2021
Read more: A Timeline of key events in Afghanistan since 2001
Taliban had entered the capital. Three senior Taliban sources told AFP that they had taken control of the presidential palace and were holding a meeting on security in the capital.
Ghani said he believed “countless patriots would be martyred and the city of Kabul would be destroyed” if he had stayed behind.
“The Taliban have won […] and are now responsible for the honor, property, and self-preservation of their countrymen,” he said in a statement posted to Facebook.
“They are now facing a new historical test. Either they will preserve the name and honor of Afghanistan or they will give priority to other places and networks,” he added.
Analysts, Afghan civilians voiced their anger at Ashraf Ghani on social media for leaving the country at the mercy of the Taliban. In the deleted tweet, Afghanistan Embassy in India shamed Ashraf Ghani for fleeing the country.
In a tweet posted on Twitter, the statement voiced extreme anger and disappointment on Ashraf Ghani relinquishing government and handing it over to the Taliban without resistance.
The embassy said it apologizes to the people of Afghanistan for serving the ‘fugitive’ Ashraf Ghani. The tweet was deleted, however, the screenshot of the statement has been making rounds on social media.
Read more: “War is over”: Taliban govt installed in Kabul
Ghani is being shamed by the people of Afghanistan for leaving the country into chaos and mayhem. The disgruntled Afghans say, “God will hold him to account”.
One thing is for sure: Afghans will curse Ashraf Ghani for decades for his betrayal of the Afghan nation for being a coward. https://t.co/EqxZ5fSQH0
— Saad Mohseni (@saadmohseni) August 15, 2021
😯
Deleted tweet of Afghan Embassy in India says Ghani “screwed” everything pic.twitter.com/qqBibD2jNk
— Baba Umar (@BabaUmarr) August 16, 2021
Several Afghan politicians have described his departure as a ‘disgrace’. An unnamed politician while talking to Al-Jazeera said that Ghani lied to the people of Afghanistan and kept them in dark. A female rights activist said that “Ghani is gone, but the 38 million people of Afghanistan remain.” Some are even calling him a coward for leaving the country and keeping the nation in dark.