Dipping afghani, soaring prices worry Kabulis

KABUL (Pajhwok): The residents of this central capital are concerned about soaring fuel prices, something government officials blame on a strengthening US dollar.

The residents also believe the prices of daily used items went up with the increase in oil prices because Afghanistan is an importer.

Taxi driver Ghulam Dastagir in Kabul told Pajhwok that joblessness had reached the peak and high prices of fuel had sent prices of daily use commodities soaring. “Prices are artificially increased in Kabul, but there is no one to hear voice of the voiceless.”

Dastagir said he could not afford fuel cost and other technical expenses even if he worked from dawn to dusk.

Two days ago, Abdul Hadi, a fuel station worker in Kabul’s Wazir Akbar Khan area, told Pajhwok that the price of one litter of petrol jumped from 50 afghanis to 52 afghanis as per international market trends.

However, the price further increased and one liter of petrol was sold for 54 afghanis and the same quantity of diesel for 55 afghanis and one kilogram of liquefied gas for 55 afs on Tuesday.

But Walid Tamim, head of the state-owned oil and gas enterprise, said not only oil prices had increased in the international market but the value of afghani dipped against the dollar as well.

During the past three months, he said, the price of one ton of oil increased by 100 dollars in the international market.

According to Kabul-based moneychangers, the value of American dollar increased from 71 afghanis to 72.50 afghanis during the past week.

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