KABUL (Pajhwok): Some government officials accuse minister-designate for Information and Cultural Affairs Mohammad Tahir Zaheer of acting against UNESCO cultural plan, digging historic sites and smuggling historic relics in central Bamyan province.
However, Tahir Zaheer, also former governor of the province, rejects the allegations against him.
The Internal Security Commission of the Wolesi Jirga says Zaheer will not be granted a trust vote until the result of investigation from the Attorney General Office (AGO) in a case related to him is produced.
Zaheer was announced as minister-designate for Information and Cultural Affairs in compliance with a presidential decree and has been introduced to the ministry’s employees.
According to a formal letter dated December 25, 2019 from the Information and Communication Commission of the Wolesi Jirga to the Parliamentary and Legislative Affairs Commission: “Zaheer has been accused of violating master plan of UNESCO in the Almas Valley of Bamyan City.”
The letter adds: “He is accused of ignoring AGO orders about people’s complaints regarding usurpation of their personal properties, not paying head to Wolesi Jirga decisions, AGO guidelines and undermining decisions of Wolesi Jirga joint facts finding commission.”
The letter also accused Zheer of smuggling of historic relics in Bamyan province. The latter further added and accused Zheer of violating the rights of cave dwellers in Bamyan City, forcing them to keep silent.
The minister-designate presented wrong identities of cave dwellers belonging to Tajik, Hazara and Pashtun ethnic communities and presented their fake statistics, usurped their rights and privileges, grabbed their economic resources and lands.
He is also accused of creating illegal and arbitrary settlements on culturally forbidden areas and on people’s property, especially on Tajik and Pashtun properties in Bamyan.
He committed fraud and corruption in the town of Dasht-e-Isa Khan in the center of Bamyan, which is against the master plan and illegally sold land in green areas, roads and public facilities of the town.
The former governor is accused of destroying the historic cultural hill of Almas, constructing an illegal road and excavating and looting historical monuments in this hill and failing to comply with Article 6 of the Constitution on participation in social justice in Bamyan.
Article six of the constitutions says: “The state shall be obligated to create a prosperous and progressive society based on social justice, preservation of human dignity, protection of human rights, realization of democracy, attainment of national unity as well as equality between all peoples and tribes and balance development of all areas of the country.”
The letter maintains: “Indigenous people in the center of Bamyan province lodged a petition with the Wolesi Jirga and also complained to the local administration, including the governor, the mayor, the director of urban planning and land, and [Aslam Alavi], the former head of information and culture in Bamyan.” Alavi has been fired from this position and no one else has been appointed in his place.”
According to the letter, the governor, the mayor and the head of urban planning and lands did not attend the commission meeting, “knowing their guilt.”
According to Bamyan residents, the information regarding the misuse of authority, looting of historical monuments and settlements on Almas Hill and other cultural and historical areas, usurpation of people’s possessions and creating ethnic and religious divisions between the noble tribes of Tajik and Hazara to obtain material and political benefits are serious offenses and a national treason on the part of former governor Zaheer, former mayor and Urban Department head
Separately, a letter issued from under the signature of Deputy Minister of Information and Cultural Affairs Mohammad Rasoul Bawari on May 28, 2018 says: “The Complaints and Appeals Commission of the Wolesi Jirga addressed the petition of the people of Bamyan province regarding the violation of the masterpiece of the cultural plan of the historic Almays valley in the presence of deputy governor regarding illegal excavation and destruction of monuments.”
According to the letter, the decision was made to prevent the transfer of funds allocated in the 2018 for the construction of the road on Almas Valley so that the funds are not wasted.
The Ministry of Information and Culture is also responsible for working hard to ensure that violators of the plan and thieves of historical monuments of Almas Hill are arrested and punished in accordance with the applicable laws of the country.
Similarly, the ministry has instructed Department of Information and Culture to rebuild the hill in its original state and to reassure the Wolesi Jirga’s Complaints Commission of its findings.
In the past two years a number of Bamyan residents have protested against the violation of the UNESCO Master Plan in the province, the usurpation of their property, the disunity among the tribes living in Bamyan, but Governor Tahir Zuhair has always denied the allegations.
Finally the Wolesi Jirga Internal Security Commission said: “The Commission discussed comprehensively and decided not to trust minister-designate Mohammad Taher Zuhair until there are serious allegations against him by the Attorney General’s Office. The Wolesi Jirga will not vote for Taher Zuhair, who had been picked as minister-designate for Information and Cultural Affairs.”
AGO Spokesperson Jamshid Rasouli confirmed Tahir Zaheer’s case landed in the AGO and was under investigation. He said the result of investigation would be shared with the nation after its completion.
Tahir Zaheer was not reached for comments but he wrote on his twitter page: “During my career as governor of Bamyan, I have been committed to transparency and the rule of law. I have defended the legal implementation of affairs and worked for justice, balanced development and implementation of government programs, and I am accountable to the law for all my actions. The people and the house of the nation will judge”
Pajhwok also tried to reach to Mayor Mohammad Aman, Urban Affairs Director Eng. Zahir Shewa and former Cultural Affairs Director Aslam Alvi but contact with them was not established.
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