Former Afghan President Sibghatullah Mojaddedi laid to rest

Former Afghan President Sibghatullah Mojaddedi who passed away earlier this week after a long illness was laid to rest on Wednesday in his ancestral graveyard here amid tight security.

Mojaddedi died late on Monday at the age of 93, his family said on Tuesday. He fought the Soviets and later became the country's interim President after the collapse of the Afghan Communist regime in 1992.

Hundreds of people including President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, his predecessor Hamid Karzai and Cabinet ministers, attended the funeral ceremony performed at the Presidential Palace, Xinhua news agency reported.

Mojaddedi was also the founder and leader of Jebha-e-Nejat-e Melli (National Liberation Front).

While paying tribute to Mojaddedi, Ghani described his death as a great loss for the nation and declared Wednesday as national mourning day.

--IANS

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