Fate of ALP officials hangs in balance

JALALABAD (PAN): Nuristan officials on Saturday accused the central government of paying no attention to the eastern province, which has long been faced with a serious security problem.

The situation is worsening with each passing day to the central government’s neglect, the governor’s spokesman, Zahir Bahand, told Pajhwok Afghan News during an exclusive interview.

He alleged the government had paid little heed to mitigating the plight of the 100 Afghan Local Police (ALP) members who received training in Nangarhar province. They have been passing their time there and neigbouring Kunar province due to insecurity along the road to Nuristan.

Barg-i-Matal and Kamdesh districts have been in the grip of security threats and the Ministry of Interior (MoI) should increase the ALP strength, he argued. “We have shared the problem with local authorities, but no one listens to us.”

Bahand warned that the ministry would be responsible if security in the province spun out of control. The fate of the 100 ALP members had been unclear over the past few months, he said while asking for the deployment of more local policemen.

A voter registration centre is yet to open in Kamdesh district, Bahand said, adding such offices in other areas of Nuristan were also faced with security threats.

Provincial council chief, Inayatur Rahman Mazhabyar confirmed insecurity. He complained no reconstruction projects had been implemented in the province over the past decade.

He asked the central government not to ignore the province and focus on its development and resolving security issues.

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