Interviews

ASADABAD (Pajhwok): Police in eastern Kunar province have stepped up measures to provide security to presidential candidates during the campaign period and on voting day.
All security measures have been put in place for the protection of election activities, particularly electioneering, in the province, said Kunar police chief Lt. Col. Shafiqullah Sahar.
He told Pajhwok Afghan News that a number of candidates had opened their campaign offices in the province but police had received no official letter to provide these offices security.

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Independent Election Commission (IEC) has identified its employees accused of corruption at different levels and pledged to dismiss them if found guilty.

KABUL (Pajhwok): Presidential runner Mohammad Ibrahim Alkozai says the role of people is vital in maintaining security and peace and resolving the current crisis.

KABUL (Pajhwok): Presidential candidate Rahmatullah Nabil has accused the National Unity Government (NUG) of politicizing the security forces and running parallel institutions which put a question mark over the system’s legitimacy and multiplied economic and security challenges.

KABUL (Pajhwok): Mohammad Hakim Torsan, a would-be presidential election hopeful, has criticised the performance of previous regimes and says the national unity government failed in its term to ensure security and work for people’s wellbeing.
Failures on political, social, economic, security, anti-corruption fronts and the migration of youth are other factors Torsan says he is worried about.

KANDAHAR CITY (Pajhwok): Though some problems and violations marred the Wolesi Jirgaelections in southern Kandahar province, yet the overall process was a success in the province, an election observer said Sunday.
Ziba, an election observer in Kandahar in an exclusive interview with Pajhwok Afghan News said a limited fraud cases occurred in Kandahar compared to past elections due to the usage of biometric system.

KANDAHAR CITY (Pajhwok): Mega development schemes should be executed instead of small projects in different districts of southern Kandahar province under the National Solidarity Programme (NSP) -- a flagship uplift plan of the government. 
Provincial Council Chairman Haji Syed Jan Khakrezwal says he has raised the issue at meetings with NSP officials and village council members. He underlined the imperative of deriving maximum benefits from the important programme. 

A year passed from the Afghan presidential elections, but yet the government is lagging. More than half of the government is acting. Peace talk is deadlocked, insecurity has increased and even expended from south and east to the northern and western provinces. Unemployment and poverty is at its peak. Government reform and development projects are barren. Institutions have been weakened and the casualties of Afghan National Security Forces increased.

KABUL (Pajhwok): Rural development minister-designate Eng. Nasir Ahmad Durrani on Thursday said he would create a department to maintain transparency in the ministry’s affairs.

BAMYAN (Pajhwok): Tayyeba Khawari, first female headed provincial council in central Bamyan province, said on Thursday that women had been playing a highly significant role in Afghanistan and she would prove that women could perform their duties efficiently as men.
Khawari was sworn-in as Bamyan provincial council head last week by winning five out of nine votes.
In an exclusive interview with Pajhwok Afghan News, she believed women could deliver more than their current symbolic roles in Afghan society.

KABUL (Pajhwok): Hezb-i-Mahaz-i-Milli Islami leader Syed Hamid Gilani on Saturday suggested the armed opposition should also be included in the national unity process.

Speaking exclusively to Pajhwok Afghan News, Gilani said the unity government, led by President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, had been formed and stability was among the administration’s top priorities.

Referring to the creation of the Chief Executive Officer position, the politician said the step had been taken in the larger national interest as a strong foundation to guarantee national unity.

 
JALALABAD (Pajhwok): Powerful tribal leader Haji Din Mohammad on Thursday urged the presidential candidates to put aside their differences to end the electoral crisis, saying Afghanistan was passing through a critical juncture.
In an exclusive interview with Pajhwok Afghan News, Din Mohammad said the prolonged crisis threatened the country’s security and economic situation. He warned the candidates would be held responsible if the situation worsened further.

 
KHOST CITY (Pajhwok): Mohammad Jawaz Khan kept secret the demise of his ailing daughter to let villagers stream to polling centres.
A day before the election, Khan, a resident of Warjali area of Thanai district of Khost, had attended a gathering of villagers to discuss the election. The gathering was called by influential tribal elder Abdul Ghaffar.
After consultations, the participants decided they would actively participate in the June 14 runoff election.

 
SHARAN (Pajhwok): Local officials in southeastern Paktika province said on Wednesday they were fully ready if the election headed for the second round.
In an exclusive interview with Pajhwok Afghan News, Paktika police chief, Maj. Gen. Nabi Jan Mulakhel, said the April, 5 presidential and provincial council polls were held in a peaceful environment in Paktika, with all polling centres opened.  
Afghan forces played leading role to ensure security on Election Day, but the role of Afghan Local Police (ALP) was of great importance and commendable, he added.  

 
KANDAHAR CITY (Pajhwok): A female provincial council runner in southern Kandahar province on Tuesday said she was ready to serve her people despite security problems and traditional restrictions.
In an exclusive interview with Pajhwok Afghan News, Serena Faizi complained that she was unable to run freely her election campaign and convey her views to the masses.

 
LASHKARGAH (Pajhwok): The Nad Ali district chief in southern Helmand province on Thursday said the security situation in his town had improved after a security operation that enabled security forces to protect polling stations and prevent poppy cultivation.
In an exclusive interview with Pajhwok Afghan News, Mohammad Ibrahim said residents of the district were no longer required to travel to the provincial capital, Lashkargah, for resolving their problems.

 
JALALABAD (Pajhwok): The governor said on Thursday people would not be able to cast their votes at 18 of the total 72 polling stations designated in eastern Nuristan province due to escalating insecurity.
Mohammad Tamim Nuristani told Pajhwok Afghan News some polling stations in a number of districts would remain closed on the election day (April 5).

KABUL (Pajhwok): Presidential contender Hidayat Amin Arsala says good governance, rule of law and speedy dispensation of justice tend to discourage the scourge of growing militancy and instability in Afghanistan.

KABUL (Pajhwok): Presidential contender Mohammad Shafiq Gul Agha Sherzai has warned if the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) is not signed and foreign troops leave, Afghanistan will once again emerge as a terrorist sanctuary.

“Afghanistan will turn into a terrorist safe haven again if foreign forces leave the country,” Sherzai said, insisting that the security pact with the US was in the supreme national interest.

 
FAIZABAD (PAN): Badakhshan Governor Dr Shah Wali Adib has said the election date set for April 5 is not a proper time because most people in the northeastern province will be unable to reach polling stations due to heavy snows.
In an exclusive interview with Pajhwok Afghan News, Adib said most Badakhshan residents had been issued with voter cards and they were interested in participating in the presidential and provincial elections.

KABUL (PAN): Presidential contender Daud Sultanzoyi has said he will implement country’s law irrespective of one’s social standing and hold well-off accountable if he wins the upcoming elections.

KABUL (PAN): Identifying durable peace and tranquility in Afghanistan as his top priorities, presidential candidate Qutbuddin Hilal has said there will be no pre-conditions for holding reconciliation talks with the Taliban and Hezb-i-Islami if he wins the upcoming ballot.

In an exclusive interview with Pajhwok Afghan News, Hilal alleged concrete steps had not been taken over the past decade to ensure lasting peace and tranquility in the country.

 
ASADABAD (PAN): The governor of eastern Kunar province on Saturday refused to confirm the death or presence of a Pakistani Taliban leader in his province.
Shujaul Mulk Jalala was speaking to Pajhwok Afghan News two days after a media report said a fugitive Pakistani Taliban leader, Mullah Fazlullah, had been killed during a clash with Afghan insurgents in Kunar which borders Pakistan’s Bajaur tribal region.

 
GARDEZ (PAN): An Afghan military commander on Monday claimed a group of Pakistani Taliban tasked with carrying out attacks in central Logar province had been eliminated.
The Afghan National Army’s 203rd Thunder Military Corps commander, Gen. Mohammad Sharif Yaftali, told local and foreign journalists the group had been sent to Logar by the Pakistani Taliban leader, Hakimullah Mehsud.

HARANA (PAN): The mayor on Tuesday said the reconstruction process in the capital of southeastern Paktika province had been stepped up in order to facilitate residents.Speaking to Pajhwok Afghan News, Syed Obaidullah Sadat said Sharan, whose residents previously faced a lot of problems, had recently been granted urban status.

 
KABUL (PAN): The Badghis governor on Monday said his administration would resolve the problems of clean drinking water supply and electricity through importing power from Turkmenistan.
In an exclusive interview with Pajhwok Afghan News, Ahmadullah Alizai listed ensuring security, combating corruption and smuggling, implementing reconstruction schemes and improving education as his priorities for Badghis.

 
CHARIKAR (PAN): Parwan Governor Abdul Basir Salangi has said it is difficult to combat the drug trade in the central province because some police officials are involved in the illicit commerce.
“Drug trade is common in Charikar and other parts of the province. I ask security officials at every meeting to do more to prevent the business,” Salangi told Pajhwok Afghan News during an exclusive conversation.

JALALABAD (PAN): Wolesi Jirga Secretary Syed Ikram has said rumours about a possible delay or change in next year’s election schedule are being spread by the country’s enemies.

KABUL (PAN): Marjan, 50, the only female member of the provincial council in central Uruzgan province, says it was her long resistance against the Taliban that translated into her election as member of the council.
Despite numerous challenges and attempts on her life by the Taliban, Marjan was able to be elected as the council member after she attracted the attention of tribal elders who proposed her to run for a provincial council seat.

 
JALALABAD (PAN): Several women’s welfare NGOs are operating in eastern Nangarhar province without coordination with the Women’s Affairs Department, an official said on Monday.
A number of NGOs were getting funds from donors, but did not inform the department regarding their activities, Women’s Affair Director Anisa Imrani Pajhwok Afghan News in an exclusive interview.

 
QALAT (PAN): A senior information and culture official on Monday warned around 18 ancient sites, mostly shrines of saints, were on the verge of irreparable loss and destruction in southern Zabul province.
Information and Culture Director Abdul Muqim Afghan told Pajhwok Afghan News he had identified a number of historic sites that were on the verge of vanishing because of mismanagement and neglect.

 
QALAT (PAN): Up to 25 schools, previously closed for security reasons, have reopened over the past one year in southern Zabul province, where another 133 schools remain shut due to a lack of interest by the residents concerned, a senior education official said on Friday.

 
JALALABAD (PAN): Nuristan governor Tamim Nuristani on Saturday acknowledged that no mega development project could be executed in the eastern province since last year, accusing the Ministry of Finance of refusing to release funds in this regard, despite President Hamid Karzai's directives.

 
JALALABAD (PAN): Several government departments in eastern Nangarhar province owe more than 800 million afghanis ($15 million) to the Afghanistan Bareshna Shirkat in unpaid electricity bills, an official said on Monday.
“Some departments have cleared their bills, but others are yet to pay any heed to outstanding dues,” Water and Energy Director Mohibur Rahman Momand said in an exclusive interview with Pajhwok Afghan News.

 
JALALABAD (PAN): A 20-year-old woman on Sunday got divorce from her husband through the court of appeals in eastern Nangarhar province.
The court verdict came amid reports that the woman, Diwa, had invited the wrath of a judge by refusing to marry him in return for a verdict in her favour.
The judge has been secretly taped by a journalist, allegedly demanding a $2,000 bribe or a marriage from Diwa seeking his help in her divorce case.

 
MAZAR-I-SHARIF (PAN): In addition to the Taliban, illegal armed groups are a threat to security in northern Afghanistan, the Disbandment of Illegal Armed Groups (DIAG) head said on Sunday.
In an exclusive interview with Pajhwok Afghan News, Gen. Abdul Manan said dozens of illegal armed groups in the north destabilised the region, paving the way for drug and weapons trafficking.

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (PAN): Northern Sar-i-Pul police chief, Brig. Gen. Abdul Rauf Taj, says restoring public confidence in the force is his priority number one.
In an exclusive interview with Pajhwok Afghan News, Gen. Taj called the lack of people’s trust in police a major problem in the province.
The police chief, who took up the post 23 days back, believes the situation may be a result of police’s misbehavior with members of the general public.

BAMYAN CITY (PAN): Governor of central Bamyan province Habiba Surabi -- the only woman to hold this position in Afghanistan -- has described asphalting of roads and supply of electricity to thousands of families as her major achievements.Belonging to southern Ghazni province, she graduated from the Pharmacy Faculty of the Kabul University.

 
LASHKARGAH (PAN): Abject poverty and unemployment have strengthened the insurgency in the Kajaki district of southern Helmand province, the town's administrative head said on Monday.
"If residents are provided with jobs, they will be kept from joining the insurgents," Mullah Abdul Raziq Mazlumyar told Pajhwok Afghan News during an exclusive interview.

 
LASHKARGAH (PAN): Abject poverty and unemployment have strengthened the insurgency in the Kajaki district of southern Helmand province, the town's administrative head said on Monday.
"If residents are provided with jobs, they will be kept from joining the insurgents," Mullah Abdul Raziq Mazlumyar told Pajhwok Afghan News during an exclusive interview.

 
MAZAR-I-SHARIF (PAN): An anti-corruption official in the northern zone on Saturday alleged the menace of administrative graft was widespread in Balkh province.
In an exclusive interview with Pajhwok Afghan News, the High Office of Oversight and Anti-Corruption (HOOAC) head for the northern zone identified land-grab incidents as one of the worst manifestations of graft.

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (PAN): The gap between residents of Charbulak district in northern Balkh province and the government has narrowed, claims the district chief, citing the establishment of a local police force and efforts at reconstruction.
Zabihullah Zahid, who took over as the district’s administrative head two and a half month ago, told Pajhwok Afghan News on Monday insecurity and a long-lasting halt to development activities had been reasons behind the gap.

 
MAZAR-I-SHARIF (PAN): Former Junbish-i-Millie Islami Afghanistan leader Syed Noorullah Sadat, denying joining the National Front of Afghanistan (NFA), has said he has been elected by the party's executive board and no one could fire him.
Sadat was among nine party members disowned by the Junbish founder, Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum, at a gathering at his Shiberghan residence three days back.

GHAZNI CITY (PAN): The High Peace Council secretary for southern Ghazni province on Monday said the Taliban, not interested in peace in the country, wanted to harm Pashtun tribes.
They invited the fighters to join peace, they threatened the people with death, Khalil Hotak told Pajhwok Afghan News.

KABUL (PAN): Marjan, 50, the only female member of the provincial council in central Uruzgan province, says it was her long resistance against the Taliban that translated into her election as member of the council.
Despite numerous challenges and attempts on her life by the Taliban, Marjan was able to be elected as the council member after she attracted the attention of tribal elders who proposed her to run for a provincial council seat.

KABUL (PAN): Afghan Hindus demand of the future president to pay attention to their problems, besides making efforts to stabilize the country's security and economic situation.
"We are also residents of this country and have problems. I call on the next president to concentrate on resolving our problems," Autam Singh Dilsoz, a perfume seller, told Pajhwok Afghan News.
The 44-year-old father of five children said he stays in Kabul, but his family is living in India as he lacks a house in the capital city.

KABUL (PAN): Afghan Hindus demand of the future president to pay attention to their problems, besides making efforts to stabilize the country's security and economic situation. "We are also residents of this country and have problems. I call on the next president to concentrate on resolving our problems," Autam Singh Dilsoz, a perfume seller, told Pajhwok Afghan News. The 44-year-old father of five children said he stays in Kabul, but his family is living in India as he lacks a house in the capital city.

KABUL (PAN): Presidential candidate Gul Ahmad Yama has said providing jobs to 10 million people and bringing international forces under the government's control are among his priorities. Running for the presidency as an independent candidate, he told Pajhwok Afghan News in an interview he did not have any problem with the presence of foreign troops in Afghanistan, but wanted the troops to be directly controlled by the Afghan government.

KABUL (PAN): Presidential candidate Hidayat Amin Arsala has opposed the introduction of federal system in the country and said it would not create even a single complete institution. In an exclusive interview with Pajhwok Afghan News, Arsala said he would continue the existing system if elected as president of Afghanistan in the upcoming presidential elections. Referring to the Constitution of the country, he said law-making was not as a simple job to be changed after every two or three years. Supporters of the federal system could not work for the benefit of Afghanistan, he added.

KABUL (PAN): Independent presidential candidate Ghulam Muhammad Rigi has said he will expose and punish all those people who embezzled international aids, if he is elected as president in the upcoming elections. In an interview with Pajhwok Afghan News Rigi said he will held accountable those responsible for misusing the foreign aids. Ghulam Muhammad Rigi was born in 1947 in Anar Dara district of western Farah province. He has baccalaureate degree.

KABUL (PAN): Presidential candidate Muhammad Hakim Torsan has said that efforts for strengthening security, pushing forward peace process, reconciliation with the Taliban and giving general amnesty to all rebel forces were an integral part of his agenda, he will implement if he wins the presidential race.

KABUL (PAN): Muhammad Akbar Orya, a presidential candidate, has promised to implement the Constitution in letter and spirit if he wins the August 20 vote.