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Income Generation for Women Falters in Afghan South

May 15, 2014, 6:30 am
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As foreigners leave Helmand, women producing handicrafts say skills will be lost unless new markets can be found.

Aisha, 40, once made good money selling her beaded handicrafts at displays and events run by international organisations in the Helmand province of southern Afghanistan.

“I would take my products to the exhibitions,” she recalled. “Domestic and foreign visitors would come and buy gifts for their friends and families. Our work was very good.

“Now, even if a [show] is arranged, no foreigners come, because most organisations have left Helmand. Only ordinary people come to the exhibitions, but they don’t buy anything."

Aisha says the Afghan government, the women’s affairs ministry in particular, have done nothing to help local craftswomen create new markets.

“The department for women’s affairs should create a...


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Afghan Youth Debates: Nangarhar Leaders Predict Second-Round Success

May 15, 2014, 10:43 am
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Local leaders in the eastern province of Nangarhar have dismissed speculation that a second round in Afghanistan's presidential race will see a far lower voter turnout than the first.

Mohammad Anwar Sultani, a civil society activist, said Afghans would "proudly participate" in the expected run-off between the two leading candidates, provisionally scheduled for June 14.

Addressing students at an IWPR debate in the provincial centre, he argued that the fact that seven million voters went to the polls in the first round on April 5 was proof that the country was at last tired of conflict.

Sultani claimed that public opinion throughout Afghanistan was now overwhelmingly in favour of peace, stability and a more open, democratic system of government.

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Afghan Youth Debates: Concern Over Election Run-Off

May 16, 2014, 2:27 am
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Journalists and community leaders in the Paghman district of Kabul province have argued that fewer voters are likely to take part in the second round of the Afghan presidential election.

Al-Haj Mohammad Khan Arabzada, deputy chairman of the district's council, said a number of logistical issues which had hampered the success of the initial ballot were bound to discourage people from voting again.

Appearing as a panellist at a debate organised by IWPR on May 8, Arabzade claimed that failure to supply sufficient ballot papers to polling stations, coupled with continued allegations of fraud, would inevitably cause some to lose confidence in the process.

He urged the government to address the problems that emerged in the April 5 ballot and ensure that the second...


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Afghan Youth Debates: Public Desire for Peace Unequivocal

May 16, 2014, 5:55 am
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Turnout in Afghanistan's April 5 election was well beyond the expectations of the international community and confirmed that people want democratic government, an IWPR debate has heard.

Juma Khan Hamdard, a senior lecturer at Ghazni University, said the historic poll represented a vital milestone in the transition of a nation battered by more than 30 years of conflict. Addressing some 100 students in the southeastern city of Ghazni on May 12, he said the first-round vote provided clear proof of Afghans’ will to seek peaceful, consensual change.

"The April 5 election was a great national milestone for Afghanistan," Hamdard said. "We witnessed a very serious process which indicated that the people want to transform the politics of the country....


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Afghan Youth Debates: Ballot Shortage a Costly Error

May 22, 2014, 5:28 am
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A university lecturer from the northern Afghan province of Balkh has criticised the electoral authorities for failing to distribute enough ballot papers for the April 5 vote.

Nur Agha Sharifi told an IWPR debate on May 14 that thousands of people spent long hours queuing at polling stations at great personal risk, only to find they were unable to cast their ballots.

He said the costly administrative error was tantamount to doing the Taleban’s work for them, given that their aim, too, had been to prevent Afghans voting.

"What’s the difference between what the Taleban wanted to do and what the Independent Election Commission [IEC] did by not providing people with ballot papers?" Sharifi asked. "I believe there is no difference at all. The...


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Afghan Youth Debates: Nation Wants End to Suffering

May 22, 2014, 9:31 am
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A political analyst from the southern province of Kandahar has told an IWPR debate that Afghans have had enough of "grief" and must now seek peace via the ballot box.

Speaking to more than 100 students at an event held on May 12, Mohammad Omar Satay said the elections had given the nation a new sense of optimism. Provincial and presidential elections were held on April 5; the latter goes to a second round on June 14.

Satay told the undergraduates that the bravery and professionalism of the Afghan security forces in the run-up to last month’s ballot had inspired voters to defy Taleban threats and come out in vast numbers. He said the seven-million-strong turnout served as a demonstration to the world that the war-torn nation wanted not conflict but...


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Afghan Youth Debates: Election Marks Clear Shift in Thinking

May 23, 2014, 3:29 am
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Election officials and civil society activists in southern Helmand province have expressed confidence in what they say is Afghanistan's growing commitment to a more open, democratic society.

Speaking at an IWPR debate in the provincial centre Lashkar Gah on May 18, civil rights activist Mohammad Ismail Shariatyar said he believed rising educational standards had increased the average person’s understanding of the need for a fair political process.

Shariatyar pointed to the continuing electoral process as proof that public opinion was now clearly swinging in favour of legitimate, accountable government.

He highlighted a particular incident that he witnessed during the April 5 polls and saw as a sign the country was moving in the right direction.

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Afghan Youth Debates: New President Must Build National Unity

May 27, 2014, 6:39 am
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President Hamed Karzai's successor must work on building a sense of national unity in Afghanistan, an IWPR debate has heard.

Naser Amini, a senior lecturer at Balkh University in the north of the country, told students that ethnic divisions had been allowed to dominate Afghan politics for too long.

During an hour-long discussion held in Mazar-e Sharif on May 1, Amini called on Afghans to look beyond their own particular regional interests and instead view their country as a single, unified entity.

He urged the government to design programmes to help remove ethnic tensions and promote a more cohesive political order that is equally representative of all.

"We need time to concentrate on solving ethnic divisions and our government should do more work...


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Afghan Youth Debates: Disagreement Over Election Fraud

May 28, 2014, 5:04 am
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Panellists at an IWPR debate in the northern Afghan province of Kunduz have clashed over the scale of electoral fraud during last month’s polls.

Mahmud Sadri, a lecturer at Kunduz University, said many people believed the April 5 election had been hijacked by "domestic and foreign institutions", whereas Hamidullah Baluch, regional spokesman for the Independent Election Commission (IEC), defended its success.

Addressing students at an event held on May 21, Sadri insisted that the outcome of the first-round presidential ballot – held the same day as provincial elections – had been engineered, and that the wishes of the electorate were being ignored by a corrupt establishment.

He said this interference jeopardised the entire voting process...


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Afghan Youth Debates: Paktia Ready for Second-Round Vote

May 28, 2014, 5:06 am
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Security officials and tribal elders in the southeastern Afghan province of Paktia have told voters that the authorities are well prepared for the second round of the presidential election.

Hajji Khawani Jahani, a local leader, said that villagers were waiting patiently for the June 14 ballot, and that people were just as keen to participate in the run-off as they had been on April 5.

Speaking to more than 100 students at a debate organised by IWPR, he said the narrowing of the field from nine presidential candidates to the two remaining contenders, Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, allowed the electorate to make much better sense of the differing policy platforms the pair were offering.

But he warned that the job of the Independent Election...


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Afghan Youth Debates: New Government Must Respect Voters' Wishes

May 29, 2014, 8:33 am
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The high turnout during Afghanistan's recent presidential and provincial council elections is clear evidence that the public is now demanding more accountable, democratic governance, an IWPR debate has heard.

Guest speakers at the May 22 event in the western city of Herat, including journalists, local councillors and civil society activists, all argued in favour of supporting the ongoing presidential poll, the second round of which will take place on June 14.

Haqiqi Sayed Haqiqi, a reporter, said voters had demonstrated their commitment to reform, and President Hamed Karzai's successor had a duty to respect the wishes of the electorate.

Nader Parwana, a civil society activist, agreed, adding that Afghanistan's election bodies must work harder to address...


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Afghan Youth Debates: Scepticism About Election Fairness

May 30, 2014, 3:05 pm
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Students and panellists at a debate in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar have expressed doubt about the transparency of the country's presidential election.

A number of guest speakers at the May 27 event in the city of Jalalabad claimed that fraud had undermined the legitimacy of the initial April 5 vote, and was likely to dog the second round, too.

Addressing some 100 undergraduates at the privately-run Al-Taqwa University, lecturer Anwar Faruqi said many people in the region believed their votes had not been "respected" by the Independent Election Commission (IEC).

Last week, the IEC announced it had fired 5,340 employees – half its total staff – following allegations that they had been involved in fraud during the first round....


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Orchards Go to Ruin in Afghan Province

June 3, 2014, 4:23 am
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Valuable tree plantations cleared or left to run wild despite their commercial potential.

At least half the once-thriving fruit and nut orchards in Khost in southeast Afghanistan have been destroyed, and the rest have fallen into disuse through neglect, according to residents of the province.

Fruit and nut plantations planted during the three-decade-long rule of Afghanistan’s last king, Mohammad Zaher Shah, survived until the civil war of the early 1990s. Thereafter, the disintegration of any kind of organised government led to years of neglect of these large-scale state ventures.

Many of the orchards have grown into wild forest, where people go to cut down trees for firewood or graze livestock.

Northeast of Khost city, the one-square-kilometre Melma Kot plantation is now a tangle of untended trees.

Amir Shah Kargar, an elderly man who is...


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Afghan Youth Elections: Ethnic Differences Cloud Presidential Run-off

June 4, 2014, 6:22 am
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Voters in the northern Afghan province of Balkh have expressed concern that the second round of the country's presidential election is increasingly being fought along ethnic lines.

Panellists at an IWPR debate held on May 27 claimed that the campaigns of the two remaining contenders were focusing heavily on ethnic heritage and historical loyalties in a last-ditch bid to garner support.

Abdullah Abdullah, who gained 45 per cent of the vote in the first round held on April 5, is identified with Tajik parts of northern Afghanistan. His rival, Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, who secured 31.6 per cent, comes from an influential family of Pashtun, the country’s largest ethnic community.

"Through their verbal attacks on one another, and by discussing ethnic and...


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Afghan Youth Debates: Election Body "Fully Prepared"

June 6, 2014, 3:34 am
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Election officials in the northern Afghan province of Kunduz have reassured voters that the Independent Election Commission (IEC) is well prepared for the second round of the presidential ballot.

Hamidullah Baluch, an IEC spokesman for the province, said ballot papers were in place, the number of polling stations had been increased, and staff were working hard across the province to promote greater participation in the June 14 vote.

Addressing some 100 students at an IWPR debate in Kunduz, he said several lessons had been learnt since the initial vote in April, and the re-run would be run more efficiently.

Some 2,500 IEC staff and nearly 100 polling station managers were currently being trained, and 4,300 other personnel had already completed training.

...


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Afghan Youth Debates: Khost Promised Trouble-Free Vote

June 6, 2014, 3:53 am
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Student voters in the southeast Afghan province of Khost have reaffirmed their commitment to taking part in the second round of the presidential election.

Speaking at a debate organised by IWPR, undergraduates said they recognised how important the second round was to shaping a better future for the country.

The June 14 run-off between Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai is needed because no candidate secured more than 50 per cent of the vote in the initial April 5 poll.

Haidar Gul Mangal, a tribal elder, told the audience at the Lincoln Learning Centre in Khost city, "We have met with many voters and talked to them about the importance of this election. The people have assured us that they will take part."

Sahebuddin Zadran, regional head...


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Afghan Youth Debates: Public Must Vote For Change

June 6, 2014, 2:29 pm
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The owner of an independent high school in the southeastern Afghan province of Khost has urged his students to back the forthcoming presidential run-off and help secure the country’s future.

Khalil Zadran told pupils that opting out of the June 14 run-off would mean turning their backs on democracy and assisting "the enemies of development". Speaking at an IWPR debate held at Amanullah Khan High School, he said a successful election was essential to peace, progress and prosperity.

"If Afghans withdraw from the process, we will have no right to complain about the kinds of problems we might suffer from in the future," he argued.

Zadran added, "If the election is held transparently and without any problems then this will lead to peace as...


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Afghan Palm Weavers Hope to Build Industry

June 9, 2014, 9:09 am
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Gathering palm leaves in Khost, Afghanistan. (Photo: Ahmad Shah)
Gathering palm leaves in Khost, Afghanistan. (Photo: Ahmad Shah)


Versatile leaves can be used for eco-friendly matting, dishes and more, but the trees are disappearing for use as firewood.

In the shade of a tree in front of his house, 55-year-old Qasem told his children to be quiet while he took a nap.

A pillow under his head, he made himself comfortable on a bed made out of the palm leaves used to make a range of household items in the Khost province of southeast Afghanistan.

“I have a metal bed at home. I have carpets as well, but they get very warm in hot weather,” said Qasem. “A palm bed is cool and one feels comfortable on it. Also, the bed and the matting can be washed frequently.”

Smiling, he added, “Doctors say diseases have increased ever since plastic carpets and other items came onto the market.”

Making things out of the leaves of the Mazari palm tree has long been a speciality of this province,...


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Tackling Gender-Based Violence in Afghanistan

June 9, 2014, 2:08 pm
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The incidence of reported crimes against women is rising. (Photo: Flickr/Marius Arnesen)
The incidence of reported crimes against women is rising. (Photo: Flickr/Marius Arnesen)


Activists say their major achievement to date is making women aware that they do have rights.

Anar Gul, 16, wept as she waited outside the Afghan ministry of women’s affairs in Kabul with her parents.

Swathed in a blue burka, she told the painful story of her marriage two months earlier in her home province of Bamian in central Afghanistan.

Soon after the wedding, her husband began inviting other men to the house and charged them money to have sex with her.

“When I refused, he would beat me up,” she said. “Sometimes he would threaten me with a knife or a pistol. Finally, I had to escape from Bamian to Kabul.”

Anar Gul wants the woman’s affairs ministry to help her divorce her husband.

Through tears, she said, “If they won’t help me get a divorce, if that man takes me back, or if the government...


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Afghan Youth Debates: Election Body Must Heed Voters' Views

June 10, 2014, 8:45 am
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Afghan community elders and local government officials in the Farza district of Kabul province have launched a stinging attack on the Independent Election Commission (IEC).

Speaking at an IWPR debate held in the district on May 29, community leaders condemned IEC officials for failing to address what they saw as serious shortcomings in the first round of Afghanistan's presidential election.

Participants highlighted three main areas which they felt contributed to voter disappointment on the day of the April 5 poll. First, they claimed that polling stations for men and women were placed too close together – a sensitive issue in a country where the sexes rarely mix. Second, they said that polling stations were often no more than tents erected in open fields exposed...


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