Kabul (BNA) President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani leading a high-ranking delegation paid an official visit to Kandahar on Thursday morning to review the general situation of that province, a presidential press office statement said.
President Ghani was welcomed by the local officials, elders and influential figures of Kandahar in Ahmad Shah Baba International Airport, according to the statement.
President Ghani that was accompanied by the first Vice President, Amrullah Saleh, NSA Hamdullah Mohib and a number of cabinet members, chaired a security meeting during his official visit to Kandahar to assess the security conditions of Kandahar and Uruzgan provinces.
In this meeting, the commander of 205th Atal Army Corps presented a report on the security status in districts of Kandahar, deployment of forces and their plans and preparations and asked the President to address their challenges in terms of lack of personnel, equipment and enablers.
President Ghani praised the Defense and Security forces in Kandahar and Zabul for foiling the heinous plots of the enemy, meanwhile called for better logistics management to prevent wasting resources
President Ghani said, “We need to make serious decisions to improve the security in Kandahar and be able to better supply the Defense and Security forces that are deployed there.”
The President termed Kandahar the heart of Afghanistan and said, “Kandahris are not alone, the government fully supports you and stands with you.”
Meanwhile the president, in a separate meeting with Kandahar’s representatives in the Lower House and members of provincial council, assured them of the government’s efforts to improve security, implement projects and address the challenges of returnees and farmers in that province.
Head of Kandahar Provincial Council after briefing on the general status of the province called for government’s further attention to improve security, deploy additional forces and address the needs of farmers and returnees in Kandahar.
Arif Noorzai, Kandahar’s representative in the Lower House said that security, equal enforcement of law, water supply projects, construction of dams and employment of Kandahari youth in government structure, are of the core issues in Kandahar that need to be addressed.
President Ashraf Ghani called on the elders to remain united and cohesive and to put many efforts to ensure security, welfare and tranquility in Kandahar.
In another meeting, a number of women on behalf of the women of Kandahar shared their challenges and recommendations in various areas including the role of women in peace process, conflict affected displaced families especially women, security concerns, lack of women in educational facilities, women’s economic problems, and lack of employment opportunities for women.
They termed Afghan National Security and Defense forces the guardians of the country’s national interest and expressed their support of the proposal to hold peace talks inside the country.
President Ghani pledged to address their demands and recommendations in a timely manner. President Ghani said, “I see and appreciate you as Nazu Anna, Zarghuna Anna, Bibi Zainab and Loya Anna. Women in Kandahar were educated even three centuries ago, however the current tragedy is that enough attention has not been paid to education.”
President Ghani instructed the Governor of Kandahar province to develop a clear plan to resolve the problems of displaced families, especially women, and address their problems.
At the end, President Ghani said that qualified women based on clear mechanism will be recruited in different institutions.
