Unemployment fueling drug addiction, migration in Ishkashim

FAIZABAD (Pajhwok): Residents of Ishkashim district of northeastern Badakhshan province say that unemployment has forced young people to seek refuge in drug addiction and migration in droves from the country.

They asked the caretaker government to make the appointments based on merit.

Pajhwok Afghan News reporter who went to Ishkashim district interviewed some residents of this district and they say that all these problems are rooted in financial hardship and the current government should support youth

Dawlat Mohammad Farzad, one of the youths of Ishkashim district, said that joblessness, and lack of support from the government were seen as the principal reasons behind youth’s involvement in drug addiction and migration in droves from the country.

He said he was suffering from mental illness and the government should take effective steps in creating jobs and consider merit in recruitment.

According to him, Badakhshan province has 250 types of natural medical herbs, 105 types of previous stones, 2,400 working areas and hundreds of tourist attractions, which if given the necessary attention, each of them could be effective in creating jobs and steer the people, especially the youth out of crisis.

Farzad said the only demand of this district was employment and education.

Hamidullah, another youth of Ishkashim, said that the lack of job opportunities and economic weakness had forced them to choose the path of migration.

He urged the Islamic Emirate to pay attention to the young people who were seeking refuge in drug addiction, immigration and suffering from mental illnesses.

Meanwhile, Mahazuddin Ahmadi, director of information and culture, also acknowledged that some youths have turned to drugs and migration, but says that the Islamic Emirate is not indifferent against them.

He added that in order to solve the problems of the young generation, they created unions at the district level and made the youth a partner in the decision-making.

He also said that the largest gold mines in Ragh and Shahr-i-Bozorg districts were extracted in the previous government and the money ended up in limited individuals’ pockets.

Ahmadi said one of the other important sources of income for this province was tourism, which had been growing this year. According to reports, only 40 foreign tourists have visited Ishkashim and Wakhan districts in two months.

He urged the youth to be patient and the situation would improve soon, and the silk road construction would be resumed in the near future, which would provide work for hundreds of people.