GENEVA: The United Nations (UN) has removed former president Ashraf Ghani’s name from its list of Heads of State, it emerged on Tuesday.
The list, published on the official website of the United Nations on February 15, also removes the name of Ghani’s wife, Rula Ghani, as Afghanistan’s first lady.
Similarly, the name of Mohammad Hanif Atmar, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, has been removed from the list, although the name of Nasir Ahmad Fayek, the Chargé d’Affaires of Afghanistan’s Representation to the United Nations, is on the list of heads of diplomatic missions.
Afghanistan’s seat at the UN became a contested issue after the resignation of the former ambassador and permanent representative of Afghanistan to the UN Ghulam Mohammad Ishaczai.
After Ishaczai’s resignation, Faiq was appointed as the Chargé d’affaires. However, later Afghanistan’s permanent mission to the UN issued a statement saying that Mohammad Wali Naeemi, deputy representative of the mission, has become Chargé d’affaires of the mission instead of Faiq.
Mohammad Haneef Atmar, calling himself the “foreign minister of the republic government,” reportedly had written a letter to the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, saying Naeemi will assume the leadership of the permanent mission as a Chargé d’affaires of Afghanistan.
According to the letter, when Isaczai resigned, based on principle, Naeemi would have assumed the responsibility but since he was ill, Faiq was appointed as the Chargé d’affaires.
The statement said that as Naeemi was recovered, he has become the Chargé d’affaires of the permanent mission and Faiq will continue working in the mission in his previous role.
In the statement, Mohammad Haneef Atmar called himself the “foreign minister of Afghanistan.” Talking to TOLOnews today, Faiq said Atmar’s letter to the UN was not accepted and Ghani’s and Atmar’s name have been removed from the UN system.
