Products should carry price tags in afghanis: Experts

JALALABAD (Pajhwok): Residents of eastern Nangarhar province say the rates of products should be fixed in local currency to prevent deals in the Pakistani rupee.

They say products and services were sold with little difference in their prices both in afghanis and Pakistani rupees while two rupees are equal to one afghani.

Economists say products should carry price tags in afghanis in order the buyers could not make payment in Pakistani rupees and that people should be given special advantage in doing businesses in domestic currency to promote it.

However, the Nangarhar local administration says rates would be fixed in afghanis and products and services would be offered in less amount of domestic currency compared to Pakistani rupees.

Wahidullah, a resident of Jalalabad, capital of Nangarhar, said he had to convert his salary in afghanis into Pakistani rupees for better costs but he would be unable to meet his family needs if deals in Pakistani rupees were banned and rates remained high in domestic currency.

Abdul Qahar, a resident of Sara Rod district who travels daily to Jalalabad city for work, says he pays 80 Pakistani rupees in transport fare but when he pays it in afghanis, he is charged 50 or 60 afghanis.

Ajmal Omar, the provincial council deputy head, said that promoting afghanis was the demand of all people, but the local administration should first define rates in domestic currency.

“People currently use Pakistani rupees because it is economic for them but if transactions are made obligatory in afghanis, it would be a problem for people if the rates are not fixed”, he said.

A number of civil society activists, are campaigning for promoting afghanis, also stress that rates should be fixed.

Shekib Sharifzai, an activist, said people should be provided facilities and benefits in transactions in afghanis to promote the currency. “People use currency in which they see their benefits,” he said.

Economic experts also emphasize on fixture of rates in domestic currency and say rates of products and services should be controlled.

Prof. Mohammad Bashir Dodyal, a lecturer in Nangarhar University, said that the local administration should first define rates and then facilitate the public to use afghanis in transactions.

However, Nangarhar governor Shah Mahmod Miakhel said that the municipality and transport department had been directed to work together with traders to define rates in Afghan currency and make the rates low.

He said if fare cost 100 Pakistani rupees, it would be made 40 afghanis so people use the domestic currency.

Shakirullah Safi, head of Nangarhar chamber of commerce and investment, also said they were talking with traders to facilitate people to use domestic currency.

He said traders had agreed they would sell their products to wholesalers in afghani so it would help shopkeepers use domestic currency.

Pakistani rupees are used for transactions people in Nangarhar province for many years.

Besides Nangarhar, the currency is also used in Laghman, Khost, Paktia and some other provinces of the country.

However, Khost officials say they are making efforts for total prevention of transactions in Pakistani rupees in the province.

Mds/ma

 

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