Kunar is a mountainous province of the country, located in east of the country on northern latitude of 35 degree, 00 minutes and 00 seconds. Kunar is bordered with Nuristan province in north, south with Nangarhar province, west with Laghman province, with the Durand Line across the border tribal areas located in its east.
According to a book named “Past & Current Kunar”, Kunar is a Nuristani word, which means olive valley. Previously Kunar was the rolling centre of eastern Nangarhar province, which has been upgraded to a province since 1965.
Currently, Kunar has 15 administrative units, including Asadabad, pronicial capital and Khas Kunar, Noorgul, Sawkai, Narang, Sarkano, Marawar, Shigal, Dangal, Asmar, Ghazi Abad, Nari, Watapur, Manogai and Chapa Dara districts. Thirteen big tribes of Sapai, Salarzai, Mashwanai, Shinwari, Mamond, Trakani, Alokozai, Momand, Buzurgkhel, Mullagoree, Sarkanee, Gujar and Kohistani are living in Kunar province.
Culture:
Cultural movements were launched in eastern Kunar province with the establishment of Rasa Literary and Cultural Association, which was formed during the Taliban era in Asadabad city in 2001, attracting writers and culturist from the whole province.
Later, similar other institutions named Cultural and Literary Association, Ikhlas Literary and Cultural Association, Educated Youths Association, Youths Reforms Association, Shapol Literary Association also started activities in Kunar.
Eighteen cultural and literary institutions were operational in the provincial capital and districts, with each of them are working for progress of youths and reforming the society. Over the past four years, annual poetical contests under the name of “Kunar River” have also been launched, being attended by poets and cultural activists from various provinces and cross the border.
Two state-run libraries are operational under the framework of information and culture department in the province, where many interested individuals appear for study and there are 16 bookstores in Kunar, presenting newly-printed books and magazines for selling to customers. Although Kunar has ancient artifacts, but there is no any museum to keep ancient items.
Moreover, seven English language training centres, with one of them allocated for girls, where eight computer training centres, three martial arts and as many bodybuilding clubs are also operational.
The residents of Kunar province like music and songs, where singers can’t be seen as respectable individual. As a result, there is no singer group in the province. But if anyone holds parties or other ceremonies, the singers are invited from neighboring Nangarhar province, where Eidul Adha and Fitre celebrated in a very simple form.
Celebrity:
Many individuals rose up in Kunar province, who had served to the country in various spheres; some of them are as follow:
Allama Sayed Jamaludin Afghan, Sayed Shamsudin Majroh, Sayed Bahaudin Majroh, Kashmir Khan, Mir Zaman Khan, Prof. Rassoul Amin, Wakil Abdul Khaliq Ikhlas, Sultan Mohammad Khan, Malik Mohammad Zarin, Wahidullah Sabawoon, Sheikh Jamilur Rahman, Maulvi Noor Jalal, Sayed Mahmoud Pacha, Mastor Shal, Wakil Mohammad Hashim, Mahkam Khan, Wakil Ghulam Mohammad, Jalala Khan, Shah Mahmoud Miakhel, Pohan Raziqi Naraiwal, Gul Nabi Sapai, Shamsulhada Shams, Maulvi Mohammad Hashim Munib, Maulvi Shahzada Shahid, Haji Sakhi Mashwani, Salih Mohammad Salih, Rafiullah Haidari, Mohammad Amin, Gulhar Jalal, Wazhma Sapai, Shujaul Mulk Jalala, Mohammad Rozi, Daud Junbish, Wakil Sidiq, Farid Mamondzai, Genral Sardar Bajorai, Abdul Kabir Storai, Abdullah Ghamghor, Abdul Rashid Jalili, Sahib Haq, Abdul Hadi Khalilzai, Mir Azam Gujarwal, Jandad, Sahibur Rahman and Moftahudin Sapai.
Media Outlets:
The first magazine in the province was named Kunar, which was publishing when communist leader, Babrak Karmal led the country, while a state-run radio channel was set up since 1983 and a state-run television in 1985. An independent radio channel named Zalla was the first one started broadcasts in Kunar in 2007, with Badlon and Nakhtar FM radio channels were formed in 2010.
The first copy of Kunar magazine was published in 1999, while Storai, Khozakht, Ghuncha, Sparghai, Rozana, Lopta, Kunar Ghag, Afaq, Ghaza, Chaghan, Sima, Fikree Yoon and Cricket magazines are still operational.
Many other magazines under the name of Kunar, Kunar Youths, Raghawana, Zala, Asadabad, Sar, Shiba, Ikhlas, Zwan Yoon, Walis Arman, Badlon were also issued and most of them were for short period and some of them are still active.
The broadcasts of national television and other private TV channels of Lemar, Tolo, Aryana and Shamshad are also visible in Kunar, where Azadi, Mashal, BBC, Diwa, Arman and Arakozia radio channels, broadcasting in fm waves in the province. Moreover, cable-television channels also have broadcasts in Kunar province.
Education:
Nearly 471, including 239 primary schools are operational in Kunar, with 42 schools belonged to boys and 188 others to both male and females. There are 107 middle schools in Kunar, 32 schools belonged to boys, 31 to girls and 44 others to both boys and girls. Of the 87 high schools in Kunar, 23 belonged to girls and 13 belonged to both male and females. 159,707 students are getting education in Kunar schools among which 65729 are girls, there are 3825 teachers, including 180 females. As many as 785 students were busy of studying in eight technical schools of Kunar and 8,984 students are getting education in 33 seminaries through 240 educators.
There are 1,461 training centres from illiterate people in Kunar and 34,800, including 20,095 females of various ages are getting training in relevant courses. Meanwhile, 470 students are studying in three private schools in Kunar, which have a teacher training college, comprising five supportive branches conducting training to 10,209 students, including 95 girls through 65 teachers.
The Kunar University, which named after Sayed Jamaludin Afghan was set up in 2010, comprising four faculties including sharia, agriculture and livestock, computer science and education. About 1,225 students, including seven girls, were getting higher education through 58 lecturers at Kunar University. The first batch of students graduated in 2013. So far, no lecturer from Kunar University was granted scholarship of doctorate or master to foreign countries.
Agriculture:
Being a mountainous province, Kunar province does not have proper lands for agriculture. But its mountains have unprecedented forests of conifer, in addition to forests of olive and oak trees. Moreover, the mountains of Kunar province also comprised fruitful trees of walnut, persimmon and others, yielding fruit corps once in a year. Corns, wheat, barleys and rice are cultivated over agricultural lands in Kunar, which can’t meet the needs of people, and many people are busy in livestock and business.
Mines:
Despite existence of forests, there are various mines in Kunar province, where many mines of precious stones are existed in Manogai and Chapa Dara districts, which is smuggled to abroad after being extracted by non technical people illegally. Likewise, the mines of chromites used in producing of iron were found in Khas Kunar and Sarkano district has the mines of marbles.
Handicrafts:
Although handicrafts were currently not produced in Kunar, but some years ago many people used to wave rugs, now the handcraft has vanished. But only handiworks like knife, sickle and axes produced by blacksmiths were common there.
Sport:
The sport is common in Kunar from the past, but that were replaced with modern sports, where recently cricket get more progress, having more fans compared to other sports, with government paying more attention to it. Currently, there are three taekwondo, bodybuilding and boxing clubs in Kunar province.
Necessities:
Construction of power dam in Sra Taq area on Kunar river with the capacity of generating 2,000 megawatts electricity, boundary walls in both sides of Kunar river, a cricket stadium in Asadabad city, upgrade of the Nawapas areas linked with Pakistan to transit and activation of the carpentry factory of Salarbagh are among the key priorities.
