Kabul (BNA) President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Mohammad Ashraf Ghani attended a ceremony to mark the National Nomad Day, the Presidential Press Office said in a statement Friday.
Addressing the ceremony held at the Salam Khana Palace and attended by a number of cabinet ministers, representatives of the Wolesi Jirga and Kuchi, elders and the youths, at the outset, Habiburrahman Head of the country’s Kuchis’ Solidarity Affairs, thanked the president for attending the ceremony.
Expressing his wishes, he shared his suggestion with the meeting, regarding the formation, coordination with other ministries and departments, joint work, addressing the problems of nomads, distributing land to nomads, scholarships and hiring staff, rebuilding guest houses and establishing a national council of nomads, according to the statement. Minister of Information and Culture, Tahir Zuhair also spoke and while reminding of the role and value of Kuchis in national unity, brotherhood, national economy, trade and other fields, asked for the appointment of Kuchis advisor in that ministry.
“We will do a thorough research on the historical and social life of the nomads and publish it in a book.”
He also called for the role and assistance of nomads in preserving cultural heritage and historical monuments,” said the statement quoting the minister. Haidarjan Naeemzoy, the representative of the nomads at the House of People and the tribal leader Mohammad Hassan, spoke and thanked the president for his special attention to the nomads in various fields.
He also shared issues including their proposals for peace, grasslands, the distribution of electronic IDs, and attention to high schools and schools for nomads, with the president.
After hearing their suggestions and visions, President Ghani congratulated all his compatriots on the National Nomad Day and noted that Afghanistan consisted of three parts that is urban, rural and nomadic, and said the organs relevant were obliged for providing services for the country’s nomads.
“With the construction of each dam, 10 percent of the land would be distributed to the nomads, starting with the Kamal Khan dam.
He instructed the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock to set up a joint commission to distribute livestock to the nomads and resettle them fairly,” said the country’s president as quoted in the statement.
The President reminded the role of nomadic women in daily life and instructed the Ministry of Public Health to provide health facilities and pay serious attention to them in distributing aid, adding that there should be no double standards with the nomads and the people in the area, and everyone should benefit from it.
The president instructed finance ministry officials not to spend Kuchi code money on other ministries and departments in other sectors, as this is the first time a special chapter has been opened for them, the statement quoted.
The president also called the role of nomads important in peace and that a special nomad council should be set up for the purpose, according to the statement.
“In the meetings of the Supreme Council of Rule of Law and Governance and the Supreme Council of Water, Land, Urban Development and Environment, the relevant departments should report on their services and performances regarding the nomads.”
“I would like to arrange a special plan and program for raising the profile of the Kuchi schools,” said the statement quoting the president.
The president pointed out that a special section for nomads should be created in the Ministries of Information and Culture and the Academy of Sciences and public awareness should be increased in this area.
The President recently addressed the Independent Directorate of Local Self-Government (IRGC) to provide advice to nomads in the more nomadic provinces, as well as to compile a list of nomadic cadres and recruit them in a transparent manner, the statement concluded.
