Defian Afghan Warlord Calls For Karzai To Resign - 2002-08-05

A defiant Afghan warlord says it is President Karzai who should resign instead of the regional strongman.

In an exclusive, interview by telephone, Khan Zadran told the Associated Press on Sunday that the Pashtun people are behind him and if President Karzai uses force it will be a threat against the people of Afghanistan.

Mr. Karzai's office issued a serious warning to Mr. Zadran after his men set up roadblocks in southeastern Afghanistan and defied central government authority. This is the first time the transitional government has threatened to take action against provincial warlords jockeying for power.

The former Afghan King Mohammed Zahir Shah moved back into his former royal residence in Kabul Sunday.

The 87-year-old former monarch condemned in his words, "anybody anywhere" who threatens peace in post-Taleban Afghanistan, including feuding warlords.

Before returning from a 29-year exile earlier this year, former king Zahir-Shah renounced all claims to the Afghan throne. Since April, he has overseen the Grand Council of Afghan elders (Loya Jirga), which approved the Western-backed transitional government headed by President Karzai.

He was later given the title Father of the Nation, and a highly-visible ceremonial role that acknowledges his widespread popularity among many Afghans.