ASSASSINS OF AFGHAN LEADER LINKED TO DRUG TRADE

Thousands of Afghans gathered yesterday for the funeral of Abdul Haji
Qadir, the vice-president, as evidence emerged suggesting that political
rivals linked to the drugs trade were behind his assassination.

Western diplomats discounted theories that Mr Qadir, who was murdered by
two gunmen in central Kabul on Saturday, fell victim to al-Qa'eda
terrorists. Powerful enemies from the eastern province of Nangarhar are
seen as more likely culprits.

It has now emerged that Mr Qadir's nine guards, all of whom have been
arrested, were unarmed on Saturday, following orders issued by their
security chief. This and other oversights lead observers to conclude that
his killers must have had contacts inside the Afghan government.

Hamid Karzai, the president, joined cabinet ministers, dignitaries and
warlords for prayers in honour of Mr Qadir at Kabul's Eid Mosque yesterday.
Afghanistan's elite arrived in a fleet of gleaming Toyota Land Cruisers.

The body of the newly appointed Minister of Public Works, who was one of
five vice-presidents, was borne in a coffin draped in the green, black and
red of the national flag. After the prayers ended, Mr Qadir's coffin was
flown by helicopter to his home city of Jalalabad, in Nangarhar province.

Mr Qadir led Mujahideen fighters during the war against the Soviet invasion
and many veterans wept as his coffin passed. It was borne on a gun
carriage, drawn by a Soviet-era armoured personnel carrier. Protected by a
ring of roadblocks and checkpoints, Mr Qadir's body was buried in a garden
in the centre of Jalalabad.

Mr Qadir was killed as his Land Cruiser pulled out of the Ministry of
Public Works. Two gunmen opened fire with AK-47 assault rifles. Forty-eight
bullets went through the vehicle's shaded windows, killing Mr Qadir and his
driver instantly.

"It was almost certainly the settling of old scores rather than terrorism,"
said a Western diplomat. "He had made a lot of enemies and it could have
been any number of them who plotted his death.

Until being appointed to the cabinet last month, Mr Qadir served as
governor of Nangarhar province. This area, which borders Pakistan and
includes the Khyber Pass, is one of the key links in the south Asian drugs
trade.

Persistent reports suggest that Mr Qadir was involved in the opium trade
during his early period of power in Nangarhar.

Mr Qadir's relationship with Haji Zaman, a former police chief, may prove
central to the murder investigation. Mr Zaman, a well-known opium dealer,
was reportedly one of the last people to have spoken to Mr Qadir.

Omar Samad, a spokesman for the Afghan foreign ministry, said a full
investigation had been launched.

"We have no hard facts yet," he said. "All we can say is that there are a
host of possibilities. A person with over two decades of involvement in
Afghan affairs, as resistance fighter and regional leader, will have made
some enemies along the way."

Mr Samad added that al-Qa'eda operatives had "not been discarded" as suspects.

Mr Qadir was one of the few Pathans holding a powerful position in the
Afghan government, making him central to the ethnic balance of the new
administration.

But Mr Samad dismissed suggestions that his death would cause instability.
"We have lost a friend and a colleague, but the system is solid in its
foundations," he said.

Yet the security lapses suggest that some inside the government conspired
against Mr Qadir. The two gunmen, both of whom were dressed in white,
escaped in a taxi. Evidence at the scene indicates that both had spent
several hours hiding in bushes at the ministry's entrance, within sight of
guards.

The key to Mr Qadir's death may lie in the obscure political rivalries of
Nangarhar, carried over to a delicate new government in Kabul.