Although people in different districts of Nangarhar have their own demands from the future president, a few common problems emerge. Those included eradication of unemployment, security and end to administrative corruption.
The province, with 22 districts and a major border with Pakistan, has 19 members in the provincial council and 13 representatives in the Wolesi Jirga or Lower House of Parliament. The report below is based on comments of 10 people from five districts and the provincial capital of Jalalabad about their demands from the new president for Afghanistan.
Shopkeeper: Insecurity is the source of all problems Amanullah, a young man is running a shop in the Makhabirat square in the city of Jalalabad. He told Pajhwok Afghan News that if he had the chance to meet the person who is going to become president of Afghanistan in the upcoming elections, he would ask that security be ensured.
He believed that all the trouble faced by the people were because of the lack of security. Once security is restored, any other problem would solve itself, he added. Student: Responsibility should be assigned to capable persons Although many systems and organisations rely on assigning responsibility to capable people, this has not been fulfilled so far, a student said.
Bakhtiar Sahil, a third-year student at the agriculture department of Nangarhar University and resident of Kaga district of Nangarhar, considers the assignment of incompetent people to government posts as the key problem in the system. If responsibility was assigned to capable people, this would bring improvements in the system which would automatically solve many problems, he added.
Homemaker: Incompetent people are root cause Jamila, resident of Behsud district and mother of three children, stresses the need for assigning jobs to competent and qualified people.
She said: "If I came across the prospective president, I shall ask for appointment of capable persons as incompetence is the root cause of the problem in the system." Writer and journalist: Corruption is source of all problems Muhammad Asif Shinwari, a writer and journalist and resident of Haska Mina district, believe administrative corruption is the root cause of Afghanistan’s problems.
He says his only demand was an end to administrative corruption. "Corruption is mother of all the problems.
Ending corruption will ensure peace and security, restore law and order and ensure progress and prosperity," he added. Labourer: Unemployment should be ended Although Afghanistan has vast manpower, there is unemployment and no process to ensure jobs for youths, said one laborer.
Thirty-year-old Mirwais, resident of Sra Rod district, while unloading cement from a truck in Jalalabad, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the young people were running everywhere to find work. His only demand from the future president is to create jobs and give employment. "My family wants a livelihood, and there are no jobs. He said many youth were going abroad, and some die on way. “If jobs are given, all the problems will be over," he added.
University teacher: National unity is of key importance Lal Bacha Azmoon, teacher of literature and languages at the Nangarhar University and resident of the Haska Mina district, stresses the need for national unity. His only demand from the future president is to ensure unity among all gropus in the country.
He added: "National unity brings peace, security and reconstruction." He is confident of the holding of elections, but not sure of the transparency. Government official: Armed men would not allow people to participate in elections Women Affairs Department director in Nangarhar Sheela Babari said no change was visible in the past five years. The list of candidates is large with many promises and people are tired of them, she said. All candidates have been making promises but she is not sure that they will fulfill any of them.
She knows only five of the 41 candidates. She will vote for a candidate who has a higher education; whose hands are not coloured with the blood of innocent people; who does not like war, and who cares for the country. She takes part in the election but is not sure of its transparency.
She adds: "Warlords are still in power and don't allow people to elect their favourite candidates at their own free will." A working woman: Candidates have no support of the people Tor Pekay Shinwari, resident of Haska Mina district, who works for a nongovernmental organization, says improvement was visible in her life in the past five years.
Shinwari says she and her husband have jobs and their children are going to school.
She says her life was bitter five years back. She knows only four of the 41 presidential candidates. She says: "None of them was there with the support of the nation or for betterment of the nation.
They have the support of dollars or foreigners." The top problems in her area are the lack of electricity and lack of shelter. She does not want to participate in the upcoming elections.
She says: "Candidates are only giving promises, but no practical work. For this reason, I shall not vote so that I may not be ashamed of my decision in the days ahead." Faridoon Khwazoon