There was nothing but praise for Kandahar's former governor during his replacement's inauguration ceremony on Saturday.
Asadullah Khalid, who handed over the governorship of Kandahar province and five other provinces to Major-General Rahmatullah Raufi, the former chief of the Afghan National Army, had been mired in corruption and torture allegations for much of his tenure.
In fact, Canada's former Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier committed a major faux pas earlier this year when he publicly raised questions about Khalid. Bernier had called on Afghanistan President Hamad Karzai to replace the controversial figure.
But on Saturday, Canadian officials had kind words for the former head of the province where the majority of Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan are stationed.
Elissa Golberg, Ottawa's top civilian in Kandahar, said Canada has had a good a relationship with Khalid and wished him well in his future endeavors.
However, during his tenure there were allegations that Khalid was personally involved in the torture of prisoners and that he did not do enough to counter the Taliban insurgency in areas under his control.
The Globe and Mail's Gloria Galloway told Â鶹´«Ã½net on Saturday it's difficult to determine if anyone could have been more effective at countering the insurgency.
"Given the spread of Taliban control in this country ... it is difficult to know how much anyone could have done to push back the Taliban," Galloway said in a telephone interview from Afghanistan.
Opposition politicians in Canada said Khalid probably would have been replaced sooner had it not been for Bernier's gaffe. There is speculation that Karzai wanted to get rid of Khalid earlier this year, but held off because Bernier's comments became public.
"Mr. Bernier's comments several months ago may have put the government of Afghanistan in a bit of tight spot. Obviously they have to be seen as making these decisions on their own, in their own time and in their own way," Bob Rae, the foreign affairs critic for the Liberals, said on Friday.
"There have been real issues around corruption in Kandahar ... so any steps we can take to deal with that are important steps."
Galloway said Raufi has promised to make security a top priority in the areas under his jurisdiction.
With files from The Canadian Press
