Rassoul to fight graft, land-grabbing

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (Pajhwok): With the presidential election scheduled for next week, leading candidate Dr. Zalmai Rassoul on Thursday pledged to fight administrative corruption and crackdown on land-grabbers if won the April 5 vote.

His government will seriously work to overcome the challenges of administrative graft and land-grab incidents, Rassoul told thousands of people attending his campaign rally at a stadium in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of northern Balkh province.

The former foreign minister also vowed to establish the rule of law and will allow no one to violate it.

He will try to further develop industries, including carpet, in Mazar-i-Sharif and across Balkh province.

He said Balkh was Afghanistan’s best agricultural province, but it lacked irrigation facilities, on which his government will work under a special plan. If succeeded, Rassoul said half of his Cabinet will represent the youth.

Mehmood Karzai, who accompanied Rassoul on the trip, encouraged the rally participants to vote for him.  He said “the moderation, equality and reconstruction team” will implement five major plans, including developing domestic production and establishing railway lines.

They will develop the agriculture sector, legalise mining and construct modern townships in Balkh and in other provinces, said Karzai, who called Rassoul a right choice for the presidency.

mrh/ma

Visits: 1