Afghanistan Bids Farewell To ‘Saffron Father’

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Mohammad Akbar

By Shapoor Saber and Nilly Kohzad
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
September 15, 2020

Mohammad Akbar, known as Afghanistan’s “saffron father,” died on September 14 at the age of 83 in his home province of Herat in the country’s west.

Akbar was one of the first Afghan farmers to pioneer the cultivation of saffron in the country and was later dubbed the “saffron father” by former Afghan President Hamid Karzai for his lifelong efforts in growing and promoting the aromatic spice extracted from flowers.

In March 2009, he received the medal of Wazir Mohammad Akbar Khan, Afghanistan’s highest governmental award, for his service and contribution to agriculture.

Akbar spent his life in Herat’s central Pashtun Zarghun district. He began cultivating saffron in 1993 in the Golmir area, where fertile soil, mild winters, and dry summers favored the crop.

His eldest son, Jalil Ahmad, says his father dedicated his entire life to farming. Ahmad tells Radio Free Afghanistan, “My father spent nearly two decades in the cultivation and production of saffron. Sadly, he died of a stroke last night.”

Akbar was known for encouraging farmers to plant saffron, a lucrative crop, as he anticipated its major role on the global market years later.

Saffron is the world’s most expensive spice, sometimes called “red gold” for its high value. On Western markets, it has the potential to sell up to $1,500 a kilogram. The spice is used in many ways including traditional medicines, food, tea, and infused in perfumes and toiletries.

Many farmers and business owners in Afghanistan see the benefits of investing in the versatile crop, an alternative to producing opium poppy, which is used to produce much of the world’s heroin.

The Kabul government and international aid organizations are supporting saffron production through financial assistance programs, and its production has been beneficial for Afghan women, who are the main harvesters of the flower.

The labor-intensive process of harvesting saffron begins in October and early November in Afghanistan. The provinces of Herat, Kandahar, Sar-e-Pol, and Balkh are home to some of the most saffron farmlands in the country.

Nilly Kohzad wrote this story based on Shapoor Saber’s reporting from Herat, Afghanistan.

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.

Afghan experts brand U.S.-led war on terror in Afghanistan as failure

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A file photo of American soldiers at an unknown location in Afghanistan.

Xinhua: Afghan political experts have described the U.S.-led war on terror in Afghanistan as a failure. “The so-called U.S.-led war against the Taliban, al-Qaida and terrorist groups has failed to root out the insurgents and bring about peace in Afghanistan,” renowned analyst Shamsul Haq Arianfar told Xinhua. Aimed at dethroning the Taliban regime, demolishing al-Qaida and associated groups and bringing about peace and stability in Afghanistan, the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom, launched on Oct. 7, 2001 in Afghanistan, has yet to achieve its goals, said the expert. Click here to read more (external link).

Afghanistan secures a coveted seat at the UN women’s commission

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Raz

Al Jazeera: Afghanistan has secured a seat at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) for the first time in its history, the South Asian country’s Permanent Mission to the UN announced on Tuesday. Afghanistan’s representative to the UN, Adela Raz, said winning the seat was of “critical importance”. Click here to read more (external link).

US Hails Pakistan’s Role in Advancing Afghan Peace Process

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Zalmay Khalilzad

By Ayaz Gul
VOA News
September 14, 2020

ISLAMABAD – America’s peace envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, visited Pakistan on Monday and conveyed Washington’s gratitude for the “important role” Islamabad has played in easing the start of reconciliation talks between warring Afghan parties, officials said.

The historic, intra-Afghan negotiations began last Saturday in Doha, Qatar, where representatives of the Taliban insurgent group and the Kabul government are tasked with negotiating a cease-fire and a political settlement to four decades of hostilities in their country.

The U.S Embassy in Islamabad said Khalilzad and his delegation met with Pakistan’s military chief, Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, and some of the country’s other senior officials.

“Ambassador Khalilzad expressed appreciation on behalf of the United States, especially the important role that Prime Minister Imran Khan and General Bajwa played in facilitating the start of the Afghanistan Peace Negotiations in Doha on Sept.12, and stressed the need for ongoing regional and international support for this historic opportunity for peace,” the embassy said in a statement.

A military statement quoted Bajwa as saying that Pakistan was determined to further its mission of promoting regional peace, economic progress and prosperity.

“The visiting dignitary greatly appreciated Pakistan’s role in the ongoing (Afghan) peace process and said that it could not have succeeded without Pakistan’s sincere and unconditional support,” the army statement quoted Khalilzad as saying.

Pakistan shares a nearly 2,600-kilometer traditionally porous border with Afghanistan and still hosts about 3 million Afghan refugees who have fled decades of conflict in their country.

Taliban insurgents allegedly have used Pakistani soil to direct and expand attacks against local and U.S.-led foreign troops in Afghanistan. The Pakistani military has long been accused of covertly supporting the insurgents.

Islamabad rejects the charges, but officials have not ruled out the possibility of Taliban leaders and fighters using refugee populations as a hiding place.

Pakistani leaders take credit for persuading the Taliban to negotiate and sign a landmark agreement with the U.S. in February 2020 that led to the commencement of the intra-Afghan negotiations in Doha this past weekend.

The U.S.-Taliban deal commits all U.S. troops to withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of April 2021 and close America’s longest war.

Khan said Monday he hopes the ongoing Afghan peace talks succeed in bringing peace and stability to Afghanistan.

“If it results in peace (in Afghanistan), it will (economically) connect the entire region all the way up to Central Asia,” he said.

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Cricket: Afghanistan Test unlikely, deadline looms

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The Islander (AU): The one-off Test between Australia and Afghanistan is in extreme doubt as the stakes increase in Cricket Australia’s stand-off with its disgruntled free-to-air broadcaster. The match between Australia and Afghanistan, currently slated to be played in Perth on November 21-25, has long been at risk of being scrapped because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to read more (external link).

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