Foreign Policy: In 2014, Afghanistan’s presidential election was marred by accusations of fraud. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry intervened and brought together the two candidates, Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, to form what is now the National Unity Government (NUG), with Ghani serving as president and Abdullah as chief executive officer. Though the agreement
1TV: Ahmad Zia Massoud, the president’s Special Representative in Reform and Good Governance, blasted the unity government for considering partisanship and ethnicity in recruitment than competency. As many as 90 percent of civil servants are not professional to carry out their mandate, according to the official. Click here to read more (external link).
Ariana News: A group from Afghanistan’s Lower House of the Parliament want to expel Homa Sultani after she made a post on her Facebook page praising the Taliban for killing 7 members of the media working for Tolo TV, and injuring dozens of others. Click here to read more (external link).
The New York Times: As the fate of Helmand Province hung in the balance last month during a withering Taliban offensive, the province’s deputy governor, Mohammad Jan Rasoolyar, found his urgent pleas for help from the central government going unheeded. So he did what millions of other people do every day: He ranted on Facebook. Click
1TV: An Afghan lawmaker has admitted she praised Taliban attack on a TV station that left seven people dead. Homa Sultani, an MP representing central Ghazni province, wrote on her Facebook profile that she was grateful for the “martyrdom-seeking attack” describing the victims as “filthy” and “bastards”. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News: The Wolesi Jirga (Lower House of Parliament) on Wednesday held its last session before breaking for their winter vacation. The Wolesi Jirga secretariat Erfanullah Erfan said they have held at least 51 sessions over the past four months. Click here to read more (external link).
Khaama Press: Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Abdullah Abdullah has said that the enemies of Afghanistan had named 2015 as the ‘year of collapse’ for government but they failed. CEO Abdullah expressed these comments during a press conference organized by the Afghanistan Investment Support Agency (AISA) to assess the investment circumstances in capital Kabul. Click here to
1TV: Afghanistan’s parliament on Monday approved a 444.6 billion Afghanis ($6.6 billion) national budget for the next fiscal year. The budget for the Persian year 1395 shows 2.1 percent increase compared to preceding year. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News: The Meshrano Jirga (Upper House of Parliament) on Sunday blasted the government for its failure to address challenges of waste management and half-built roads in the country’s capital. The senate also urged government to immediately appoint a new mayor for Kabul city. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News: The New National Front of Afghanistan (NNF), officially launched as an opposition party on Thursday, claims the National Unity Government (NUG) has failed in all areas. It stressed that elections should be held as soon as possible so as to replace the current government. Speaking at the launch, Anwar ul-Haq Ahadi, the chairman of