Afghanistan's Acting Foreign Minister Resigns

Salahuddin Rabbani

Afghanistan's acting foreign minister, Salahuddin Rabbani, has resigned his post.

Rabbani on October 23 sent a resignation letter to President Ashraf Ghani, saying the Foreign Ministry has been sidelined and is being treated as a nongovernmental organization.

Rabbani said in the letter that some actions taken in the name of administrative reform have promoted discrimination in government institutions and would seriously harm the unity of the country in the long run.

"It is unbearable," Rabbani said.

Following the formation of the Afghan National Unity government, Rabbani was appointed foreign minister in 2015 but later continued in the position as acting foreign minister amid political infighting.

There were differences of opinion between Ghani and Rabbani and the latter sometimes was not invited to meetings at the presidential palace.

Rabbani supported Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, Ghani's opponent in the September 28 presidential election. The results have not yet been announced.

With reporting by dpa and AP