Demands of Khost People:

KHOST CITY (PAN): The residents of southeastern Khost province demanded from Afghan government and international community, the construction of Khost-Gardez highway, Khost International Airport, Khost-Ghulam Khan road, water and power dams.

Security and execution of infrastructure projects were some of the priority demands of the residents, provincial council head, Sayed Karim Khaksar, told Pajhwok Afghan News.

He said the asphalting work on Khost-Gardez highway was launched six years ago, but the project is yet to be completed. 

 The contracts of the project were cancelled three times by contractor companies, fearing the cancelation act would be repeated for the fourth time and the road would remain unconstructed.

 Although initial construction work on the Khost airport was launched, but the project was halted due to unknown reasons, where people urged Afghan government to resume the project.

Another member of the provincial council, Naat Bibi Omari, said the Presidential Palace has ordered the construction of Khost-Ghulam Khan transit route, but the relevant ministries is yet to take any practical measures.

She added converting of Khost-Ghulam Khan road into a transit route was very valuable to Khost residents, calling any waiver in this regard a big anguish with residents of the province. 

Nasir Ahmad Rokhan, a resident of the provincial capital, said lack of electricity in Khost city was a major problem, where many wealthy people and traders are willing to invest in the province and build factories. But unavailability of electric power induced residents of the province to shift their businesses and invest in United Arabic Emirates (UAE), he said.

A tribal elder from Sabari tribe, Mir Zaman, on other hand, described non-existence of water dams to irrigate agricultural lands as other crises in the province. Khost is a mountainous province, with lack of agricultural lands when most of them are rain-fed, he said.

There is need for the construction of water dams in Khost province, he said fearing its residents would face major problems as international community’s assistance come to an end.

The international community failed to execute infrastructure projects in the province, where those youths working in foreign basis will unemployed as foreign troops pulled out of the country, Ahmad Shah, a resident of Matoon area of Khost city, complained.

He added: “We urge Afghan government to taken stern steps in creating job opportunities to youths and rehabilitation of drug addicts.”

Gulzar Khan, a tribal elder from Tani district, identified no construction of bridges and other facilities that links the districts with provincial capital as other problems facing the residents. He said many roads, leading to provincial capital were passed through rivers, where many people could not go to Khost city during spring and summer as result of heavy floods. He said Afghan government and international community should build bridges over rivers in the province, if they are willing to meet demands of the people.

A military analyst, Sayed Zaman Khosti, said that strengthening and equipping of security forces would help in ensuring security in the frontier province.

Afghan government should increase numbers of security forces and equip them with sophisticated weapons, if it is willing to keep Khost as a strong defence centre, in order to prevent destabilizing of the whole county.

Mm/ra

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