NUG committed to electoral system reforms

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THE KABUL TIMES
Monday, March 14, 2016
Exports make core
NUG committed to
electoral system reforms economic development
The Afghan government officials expressed their readiness in
reforming the electoral system,
adding ‘The government of national unity is committed to bring reforms in electoral system as it has
been already promised to the people.’
In the meantime, on bringing
reforms in electoral system, the
officials of the Chief Executive
Office said, ‘Based on an agreement made between the NUG leaders, bringing reforms in electoral
system is one of the government’s
main priorities.’
Pointing to the signing of the
legislative decree by the president,
CE Abdullah has recently said,
‘Brining reforms in electoral system is one of the main issues of
the government of national unity.’
Deputy to electoral reforms
commission, Seddiqullah Towhidi said, ‘Parliamentary and district councils’ elections should be
transparently and fairly held.’
To select or to be selected is
the people right, and it should not
be wasted, Towhidi further said.
The government and the parliament should know that delay
in reforming the electoral system
is not in the benefit of the Afghan
people, Towhidi continued.
Likewise, if the government
fails to implement reforms in electoral system, the people would
not trust to the works of the related commission anymore,
Towhidi went on to say.
The people of Afghanistan
and the civil society organizations
ask the government to reform the
electoral system at its earliest, as
well as to take readiness for holding transparent parliamentary
elections, so the people enthusiastically partake to this process,
Towhidi added.
The NUG leaders are committed to bring reforms in electoral
system and it would be imple-
mented at any cost.
Calling bringing reforms in
electoral system imperative, a
number of observers of the electoral institutions and the civil society organizations ask the government to practically step up in
this regard.
Head of civil society association in Afghanistan, Aziz Rafiee
said, ‘The first step of the government should be to reform the
electoral system, because, short
time is left to holding parliamentary elections.’
Besides, based on president’s
legislative decree, there should be
impartial people in the selection
committee, Rafiee further said.
Head of Transparent Election
Foundation of Afghanistan
(TEFA), Naeem Ayoubzada said,
‘Bringing reforms in electoral system is effective to holding parliamentary elections, adding the people don’t trust to electoral commissions anymore.’
Meanwhile, a number of experts ask the government to seriously step up in bringing reforms
in electoral system, adding 2014
presidential elections had been one
of the most problematic elections
in the history of Afghanistan,
which finally caused the US secretary of state mediate the
process.A political expert, Akram
Andishmand believe that one of
the main challenges in the last
presidential elections was not
clearly specifying of the voters
number, as there had been reports
existed that in some districts, the
number of votes had been more
than the area’s population,
Andishmand further said.
This is while that the last presidential elections had been held
amid waves of challenges and problems and now, the people expect
the officials of the government of
national unity to prioritize bringing reforms in electoral system.
Suraya
Afghanistan ministry of
counternarcotic has expressed
concern over what it said a
growing drug addiction among
the people—mostly the youth
in the country reaching to 3.5
million, as official warned over
increasingly children inclusion.
Spokesman for the ministry of counternarcotic, Mohammad Hanif Danishyar said
an exact number of 800 thousand women and one million
children are among the drug
addicted individuals, while a
poll launched in 2013 estimated the number of women and
dicts reported to have been living in Afghanistan big cities.
Meanwhile, Kabul citizens
are expressing concern over
what they said a growing soarup in the number of drugs addicts, in the country asking the
government for doing its best
to prevent the phenomenon.
Ahmad Walid, a Kabul citizen said that the government,
in the last two months, collected a rough number of drugs
addicts from different parts of
the country, particularly, from
across the Pul-e-Sokhta area,
but, still there are wide number
of addicts in the capital.
ed, as according to him, addiction was restricted in Afghanistan, but is a regional and global challenge, and would affect
the youths across the globe.
He asked the international
community for paying enough
attention to the drug addicts’
situation in the country and
help the government of Afghanistan to uproot the phenomenon further than ever.
Walid also asked the government for widening the drug
addict treatment centers in the
capital to help more addicts be
treated.
Calling the measure of the
mani, an expert said in the past
more than 13 years of the international forces presence in
Afghanistan and despites the
efforts of the government of
Afghanistan in war on drugs
and addiction and the flow of
millions of USD to uproot the
phenomenon, there are still
wide number of addicts in different parts of the country, particularly, in the country’s big
cities.
While poppy cultivation
and using drugs has defamed
Afghanistan across the globe
and each day the vicious phenomenon victimize the people
like terror and violence, the
profit goes to the pocket of the
drugs mafia.
Due to high demand from
the world mafia, Afghanistan
is still reported to be one of the
world’s biggest poppy growing country.
He blamed the world leaders’ meetings for anti-drugs
campaign to have been merely
focusing the threats and harms,
not practical measures for an
inclusive the uprooting of the
heinous plant.
According to him, if the regional countries control their
borders, drug traffickers would
never be able to transport poppy or its other derived substances.
Meanwhile, the house of
people calls counterdrugs
campaign a need and asked the
regional and world countries to
help Afghanistan launch a
poppy uprooting campaign.
Shukria Kohistani
children with drugs addiction
reaching to 500 thousand, with
most number of the drug ad-
From P2...
He said the challenge
would engulf the region and
the world, if it was not prevent-
government of Afghanistan
very effective in uprooting addiction in the country, Ali Rah-
China, Russia assuring...
the other would help Afghanistan
develop and even reach a lasting
peace, as according to him, China
has now changed into a great economic country in the world.
He said securing relation between Afghanistan and Russia
would also help security and stability restored in both the country and the region and reduce terrorism and drugs trafficking across
the common borders.
Reza Rezaye a private university’s economic lecturer said China, for development of its industry needs rich mining resources,
with Afghanistan being able to
provide the need, as well as the
three countries including Afghanistan with common borders would
be able to fight terrorism and prevent its infiltration into the regional countries.
He said the three countries
should do their best to fight terrorism and drug traffic.
According to him, the two
countries could also play effective role in the Afghan peace process and launch effective and successful war on terror and terrorism, he said was not only Afghan
centered phenomenon, but it
threatens people worldwide.
The terrorism threat gravely
overshadows China and Russia,
if a needed counteraction was not
made against, said Rezaye who
asked for cooperation from both
developed countries with Afghan-
istan in this respect.
Expressing optimism over the
two giant economic countries’ cooperation for peace restoration in
Afghanistan, Saifuddin Saihoon
believed Afghanistan’s efforts to
provide a trade bed for investment
and trade for the two (China and
Russia) would help security ensured in Afghanistan.
He asked the government, for
having a stable Afghanistan, needs
to tighten relation with the economic countries like China, Russia and U.S.
According to him, with its
proper geographic location, Afghanistan can provide the need for
trade and investment in the region
as the regional countries enjoy all
the economic developments like
energy, water-resources, railway
etc, which if used would help the
country advance in long-term.
An Afghan citizen, Taj Mohammad also believed having political and economic ties with the
developed regional countries, like
China and Russia would help the
country advance and develop in
different fields of economy and
political affairs.
China has provided different
economic projects launch in Afghanistan, with Russia joining the
country with a strong support to
the peace process and war on terror recently.
Raiszada
As exports are one of the
important sections of Afghanistan’s economic development,
so, serious steps should be
taken for its expansion and improving. Mainly, Afghanistan
position in regional, global
trade.
Approval of laws and issuance decrees by the government senior authorities on facilities of exports can be con-
exports’ items include dried
fruits, carpets, fur, precious
stones worth multi-million dollars.
According to one of the
officials of Afghanistan Exports Promotion Department,
the major problems ahead of
Afghan exporter include lack
of investment in exports section, transportation problems,
corruption and bribery by some
security organs and custom
officials, lack of capital holders and businessmen access to
loans with low interests.
Although comparing with
previous years, the scale of our
exports has increased but still
its slight compared with our imports.
Until domestic traders and
producers don ’t recogn ize
good the world markets, suitable packing of exports goods
are not take place and considerable facilities are not available on taxes for exporters by
the government, Afghanistan
would not manage to regain its
sidered an on time step, but if
essential further measures are
ghanistan would regain its
main position in the region and
the world not only as a consuming but as a producing
country.
One of the on time and decisive measures of the MoCI
particularly Exports Promotion
Department and AISA is identification of our exports items.
We can for instance mention
carpets exports with Afghan ID
card to global markets while
just shortly before, Afghan
made carpets were exported
and supplied to world markets
in the name of Pakistan. Today
our carpets have occupied the
most powerful markets of the
world and its increasing day by
day.
Afghanistan is in dire need
of investment in industries,
not take place and current challenges ahead of exports are not
removed, we can certainly say
that our exports would not develop and improve.
As Afghanistan is an agricultural country, if investment
is increased in this branch and
essential attention is invited to
industries, we can claim that in
five upcoming years, the volume of our exports would remarkably improved and Af-
agriculture, transportation,
road construction, education
and higher education etc. if we
managed to achieve these
goals, our economic foundation will be strengthened. As
late Mahatma Gandhi had suggested industrialization policy
for access to the principle of
self-sufficiency, and this policy was a kind of return to hidden national Indian values.
Waqar Ahmad Momand
Sapling plantation key
to protect environment
Late every year, the Kabul
Municipality launches sapling
the rest two parks. There are totally fifty six parks in Kabul in-
plantation and creation of recreational parks. In a telephone contact with The Kabul Times reporter, the chairman of Kabul Municipality Greenery Department,
Eng. Semeen Sabri said, at the end
of every year, our department
launches sapling plantation campaign throughout the capital city.
This year, we had a five days
campaign. Beside planting of
twenty thousand saplings in urban precincts of 13, 21, 4th and
5th, thousands saplings were also
distributed to citizens in different
parts of the city for beauty of the
city and environment protection.
We establish nurseries for production of saplings and distribute saplings free of charge. The Ministry
of Agriculture distributes saplings
to government departments. We
managed to plant thousands saplings across the city despite of our
limited personnel.
She added, in recent years,
beside rebuilding of ancient gardens, the Greenery Department
has established thirty new parks
in different parts of the city out
of which 28 parks have been
opened and work is going on for
cluding two newly established
parks that are available to people.
municipalities and focus serious
attention to cleanliness of their
environment. So I would like to
request the countrymen to invite
special attention to greenery, cleanliness of their parks, gardens and
recreational sites as well as take
care of trees, flowers and particularly the newly planted saplings.
Farid Ahmad one of the local
sapling suppliers welcomed the
people participation in sapling
plantation campaign and assessed
it encouraging then previous
years.He added, this year our
sales are better. This year the people started earlier to buy saplings
and plant them.
Mohammad Ali a local who
planned to buy saplings said although we received saplings from
Greenery Department, but it is not
Those parks that were destroyed
during the three decade wars in
Kabul, were rehabilitated. We plan
to develop nurseries and plant
saplings and flowers along main
roads to prevent pollution and
clean the atmosphere.
She went on to say, very beautiful parks are available in other
countries because people support
sufficient and I want to buy fruit
bearing saplings. This year, I
bough t eight saplings for my
house.While every year, sapling
plantation programs are organized
by the Kabul municipality but the
planted saplings are dried after
plantation or destroyed due to lack
of care and attention.
Karima Malikzada
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