The notorious leader of Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is expected to arrive in Kabul soon as he has arrived in the eastern Laghman province on Wednesday but there are mixed reactions regarding his return to Afghanistan.
The provincial officials in Laghman confirmed that Hekmatyar arrived in this province on Wednesday but the reactions regarding his return are mixed and mingled as some think his return will help in bring peace and stability in the country but majority believe he is a retired political figure and his return will have relatively lower impact on the current situation in the country.
Famous as rocketyar among the Afghan people for his indiscriminate shelling of capital Kabul with rockets in mid-90s, the return of Hekmatyar is believed to have a positive impact to encourage other militant groups including Taliban to sit-in for peace talks with the government.
But the majority believe that Hekmatyar's return has more political motives rather than helping in expediting peace process with the anti-government armed militant groups.
The return of Hekmatyar coincides with the growing rift among the different ethnic groups in Afghanistan, mainly with the sidelining of a prominent government official, Ahmad Zia Massoud, who also represents the prominent Jamiat-e-Islami party.
Hekmatyar is expected to appear before the media on Saturday, months after he signed a peace agreement with the Afghan government and days after he arrived in eastern Laghman province of Afghanistan.
The signing of the peace agreement in September last year paved the way for the removal of Hekmatyar's name from the United Nations Security Council Sanctions List which was done based on a request by the Afghan government.
In the meantime, the majority of the Afghan people believe that Hekmatyar's return will not have a major impact on the security situation in the country.
The majority of the spectators of the upheaval believe that Hekmatyar is no more prominent as he used to be during the devastating civil war in the country in early 90s and mid 90s.
However, the Afghan government is optimistic that Hekmatyar's return will help pave the way for the return of the other militant groups, specifically the Taliban group to negotiations table.
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