Tuesday, September 03, 2013
Kabul (BNA) President Hamid Karzai chaired plenary meeting of the Council of Ministers at the Presidential Palace (CM) yesterday.
To start with, President Karzai introduced at the meeting Mohammad Omar Daoudzai as candidate and Acting Minister of Interior Affairs and General Ayoub Salangi as Senior Deputy Minister for Security of Interior Ministry and assigned acting interior minister to undertake measures with respect to improving police, security situation in the country including security of highways, improving security in provinces, districts, villages and borders as well as strengthening and equipping of police, ensuring security of voting centers and election process with all its possibilities.
The CM strongly condemned the suicide attack in front of Kabul New Bank in Kandahar and planting of mines in Helmand and Baghlan as a result of which a number of innocent people were martyred and wounded and wished peace for souls of martyrs and patience for the bereaved families and early recovery for the wounded.
The CM called this acts of the Taliban an indicator of their weakness and emphasized that by carrying such crimes they will receive hatred of the people and will face severe punishment of Allah and will be responsive towards the Afghan nation.
Minister of Finance presented a brief report on his visit to Pakistan and conclusion of agreements adding that during the visit he met with higher authorities of that country discussing issues related to investments in transport sector, other infrastructure projects like building of railways of Chaman-Kandahar at the length of 15.5 km, Peshawar-Jalalabad railway at the length of 177 km, building of second lane highway of Torkham-Jalalabad, completion of the hydro power dam on Kunar river and a hospital in Jalalabad and realization of Pakistan’s undertakings towards the transit agreement and agreement were reached on these projects.
The Minister of Finance also presented the attachments to the ordinary and development budgets of current year and added that on the basis of financial undertakings by the World Bank, the Afghanistan Reconstruction Fund, Asian Bank and other donor foundations, USD60 million equivalent to Afs 3.1 billion have been allocated to the current development projects of mines, public works, public health, agriculture and irrigation, struggle against narcotics, rehabilitation and rural development and the Afghanistan Breshna Company and added as attachment to the current year development budget.
Adding that Afs 457 million aid of the donor countries has been added to the ordinary budget of the Ministry of Information and Culture and to independent local organs budget.
At the end of the meeting two international agreements were presented to the CM which was adopted.
