Kabul residents unhappy with park closure

KABUL): Kabul residents are unhappy with the shutdown of Zarnegar Park, located in center of city. Officials say the park was closed down for security reasons and will reopen soon.

The park is locatednortheast of the presidential palace and surrounded on other sides by the municipality of Kabul, the Ministries of Education, Telecommunications and Information Technology, Information and Culture, and the Kabul Serena Hotel, which attracts many foreign visitors.

The park has been closed for almost five months and there are no other parks in the area.

Shafiqullah, a Dehmazang resident, told Pajhwok Afghan News that Zarnegar Park is a recreational park for residents of the Deh Afghanan neighborhood and for visitors to government offices.

He said that if officials fear security problems from the park, they should assign more forces to the area.

Abdul Ahad, a student of law and political science at Kabul University and a resident of Deh Afghanan, says that the park’s closure has been a problem for students especially. He said Zarnegar Park is the only place nearby for recreation and studying because it has green spaces and good shade.

On July 19 nearly 15 visitors were standing outside the Kabul municipality. One of them, Najibullah Jabarkhail, was a resident of the Qarghaee district in the eastern province of Laghman who had come to the municipality for official business.

He said he thought the park was closed because of high-level visitors to the Serena Hotel.

But 2nd police district chief Col. Shawali Tamana told Pajhwok Afghan News that the park was closed with the agreement of the municipality of Kabul because of security problems.

He added that the park will reopen in the near future after police meet with municipality officials.

oh/kg