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Insecurity, economic and social problems have increased. Government must take steps for solution: Parliament Speaker
By Farhad Naibkhel-KABUL: President Ashraf Ghani says that the government has “strong intentions” for both peace and defense.
Addressing the lawmakers at the parliament’s opening session Ghani said that the defense preparations were against those who impose war on Afghanistan.
“Our responsibility is to be prepared for the worse condition, but be hopeful for better situation,” the president said.
He said that reaching to durable peace needed patience, time and evaluation of war reasons.
It is not an internal war, it is an imposed war which we did not start, he added.
Ghani called al-Qaeda as an element of the Afghan war, saying it only wanted to use Afghanistan as a battleground. “But we will never allow anyone to put Afghanistan in danger.”
“Daesh (Islamic State) is another element of war, the extremists fighting for their own interests, but fortunately they are in escaping condition in Afghanistan.”
Also there are Uzbek, Tajik and Chechen terrorist groups including Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, he elaborated.
“Also there is an unannounced war between Afghanistan and Pakistan,” Ghani said.
Pointing to Afghanistan and Pakistan issues, he said that there is a common point between the two nations burning in the flames of terrorism.
“We want to reach an agreement as two governments respecting each other’s independency and sovereignty,” he said.
Abdul Raouf Ibrahimi, Speaker for the Wolesi Jirga (Lower House of Parliament) mentioned increasing insecurity, poverty, economic challenges, unemployment and people’s migration as the outstanding problems in the previous year.
Ibrahimi also called the government’s peace efforts unclear, saying the process had no specific outcomes.
“Complicated preparations for the parliamentary election are the other challenge,” he underlined.
