Ghazni ceremony indefinitely postponed

GHAZNI CITY (PAN due later this month, officials said on Saturday.

The first ceremony, which was attended by more than 2000 people, including foreign diplomats and senior Afghan officials, took place in April this year.

The week-long celebrations came nearly five years after Ghazni City was selected to serve as the Asian Capital of Islamic Civilisation at a conference in Tripoli in 2007 by the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (IESCO).

The second phase of celebrations was due to take place 12 days later, but delayed for because the consultative grand assembly to be held in Kabul on the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) with the US.

The governor’s spokesman, Shafique Nang, said the celebration had been postponed for an indefinite time and would be held at an appropriate time after the Loya Jirga.

But deputy governor Mohammad Ali Ahmadi was unaware about the reason behind the delay, saying the event could be marked on another date beyond the scheduled time.

The news drew criticism from locals, who said the pride should not have been postponed.

Ghazni City resident Naibullah said he did not think the ceremony will take place, saying government officials were often found fleecing people and playing with their sentiments.

Another resident, Mohammad Ikram, believed the event might have been delayed as a result of security concerns.

He said two rockets were fired at the governor’s house, where a meeting was discussing preparations for the ceremony few days back. The attack badly disturbed the meeting, he added.

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