President Ashraf Ghani and rival Dr. Abdullah Abdullah on Sunday signed a power-sharing agreement in Kabul aimed at ending the months-long political impasse in the country.
 
The five-page agreement describes the new government role given to Abdullah and specifies his authorities and privileges and areas of work where his team will participate.
 
Based on the agreement, the High Council of Government will be established to ensure political consensus in the country. Political leaders and national figures will be members.
 
However, there are concerns that the creation of the High Council alongside the government could create obstacles for the Presidential Palace in its decision-making process on national issues.
 
Legal experts meanwhile have said that the High Council of Government will be only a consultative organ and its decisions will not be mandatory.
 
“The High Council of Government will be only a consultative body, it will not have any mandatory and judgmental impacts on the government of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan,” said legal expert Wahid Farzayee.
 
“In order to create political consensus, the High Council of Government, comprised of political leaders and national personalities, will be formed,” an excerpt from the agreement reads.
 
At the signing ceremony, former president Hamid Karzai and former mujahideen leader Abdurrab Rasoul Sayyaf urged the two leaders to work together and get the country out of the current crisis.
 
“I pray that Allah gives strength to the government officials to address the pain and the plight of the people,” said Sayyaf.
 
“We should move forward in an environment of unity and joint cooperation for the sake of peace and the prosperity of our homeland,” said Karzai.
 
There are no details, however, about who will be members of the council. But the agreement states that former first vice president General Abdul Rashid Dostum, who, by the terms of the agreement was granted the rank of marshal, will be one of the members.
 
According to the agreement, the High Council of Government will be privileged with official government protocol.