Afghan senator accuses British newspaper of defaming

An Afghan senator and former warlordShir Mohammad Akhundzada has accused British newspaper the Daily Telegraph of making conspiracy to defame his personality, local newspaper Mandegar reported Tuesday.

"I have never talked to the British newspaper the Daily Telegraph and any report about me published by the newspaper is baseless and part of propaganda to damage my personality," Akhundzada said in an interview with Mandegar.

Daily Telegraph just days ago reported that Akhundzada had send3,000 of his men to Taliban as part of backing militants against the Afghan government.

"Publishing such report is part of conspiracy to defame me and leaves no place for me to join the government in future," Akhundzada stressed.

Akhundzada who served as governor of the restive and poppy growing Helmand province until 2005, according to Daily Telegraph, was sacked from office after security forces discovered 9 tons of opium poppy from his residence.

In talks with the Mandegar newspaper, Akhundzada utterly rejected the report, adding it is a blatant conspiracy to defame me.

According to the British newspaper the Daily Telegraph, President Hamid Karzai would appoint Akhundzada as governor of Helmand for his support during election campaign, but Akhundzada told Mandegar he is a sitting senator and has no interest in becoming provincial governor.

Source: Xinhua