Afghanistan’s National Ulema Council head Qeyamudin Kashaf, who went with President Hamid Karzai to Faryab to meet the families of the bombing victims, accused Pakistan for planning such suicide attacks.
“We spread Islam to the others and they announce jihad against us. They themselves have said that jihad in Afghanistan is the defence of Pakistan,” Kashaf said, adding that suicide attacks went against the tenets of Islam.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s Independent Human Rights Commission chief Mohammad Musa Mahmoodi said a complete investigation was needed.
“We want a full investigation of the incident and punishment of the perpetrators so that people know who was behind the attack,” he told an Afghan TV channel.
“The government should exclude any parties trying to misuse the peace efforts of the Afghan government for launching such deadly and horrifying attack,” he added.
The International Human Rights Watch (HRW) concurred with Mahmoodi, saying the incident might even be considered a war crime.
Karzai also addressed a gathering during his visit to Faryab, saying that whoever carried out the attack was the enemy of Islam and the enemy of the Afghan people’s happiness.
But some Faryab residents criticised Karzai during his visit, saying that various insurgents had been released from prison and they had returned to carry out attacks, killing the innocent people.
Over 40 people were killed and around 50 others were injured in Friday’s single-bomb suicide attack at the Eid Gah mosque in Faryab’s capital Maimana city.