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Rents rise in Nangarhar amid sharp increase in returning refugees
With the surge of Afghans returning from Pakistan, the cost of housing has sharply increased in eastern Nangarhar province over the past few weeks.
Returnees say they cannot afford to pay the steep rents charged by landlords and have asked the government to step in.
“The rent of houses that was 4,000 or 5,000 afghanis has increased to 8,000 and 9,000 afghanis. It has even increased to 10,000 afghanis,” says Ketab Khan, a resident of Nangarhar.
Local officials say that they have taken measures to resolve the issue and are trying to control prices.
“We have a chief in every district. We have a general president of the union. We have told them to identify anyone who violates our order,” says Gul Zaman Naseh, head of coordination of the Nangarhar Justice Department.
Vice and Virtue officials also go street to street, asking residents to help returnees by renting houses at reasonable prices.
“We have to help them (returnees). Share with them an apple we eat. We have told all the people through the mosques to embrace the returning Afghans and not to raise the rents,” says Sahibullah Nomani, a muhtasib in Nangarhar province.
Two people have been killed amid protests against a poppy eradication campaign in northeastern Badakhshan province, local officials said.
Authorities said counter-narcotics forces were deployed on Friday to Atan Jalo area of Argo district to destroy poppy fields. Clashes erupted after a number of farmers and residents reportedly attempted to block the operation.
Officials said a child was killed during Friday’s unrest, while another person died on Saturday as protests and tensions continued in the area.
According to local authorities, demonstrators also temporarily blocked the Kishm–Faizabad highway, disrupting traffic for several hours before it was reopened following coordinated efforts by security officials, religious scholars, and community elders.
Officials blamed “drug traffickers and criminal groups” for inciting the unrest and said security forces have since regained control of the area.
A high-ranking Uzbek delegation comprising government officials and private sector representatives from the Republic of Karakalpakstan arrived in Kabul on Saturday to discuss the expansion of trade and economic cooperation with Afghanistan.
The delegation is headed by Amanbay Orinbayev, Chairman of the Supreme Council of Karakalpakstan.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the delegation is expected to hold talks with Nooruddin Azizi, the Minister of Industry and Commerce, focusing on strengthening bilateral trade and economic relations.
The ministry said the visiting delegation will also participate in trade connectivity meetings and business-to-business sessions aimed at enhancing commercial cooperation between the two sides.
As part of the visit, the Uzbek delegation is also scheduled to travel to Balkh province, where members will attend additional trade meetings and inaugurate an exhibition showcasing Uzbekistan’s domestic products.
Hamid Karzai, former president of Afghanistan, has expressed concern over recent developments along the Durand Line, saying Pakistan has increased military and economic pressure on villages and residents living near the line.
In a statement, Karzai said the apparent purpose of these pressures is to push residents of Durand Line areas to seek help from Pakistani institutions for resolving security and other local issues.
He added that, amid this situation, some tribal elders from both sides of the Durand Line recently signed documents described as “peace agreements,” which were later officially welcomed by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to Karzai, these developments amount to an effort by Pakistan to legitimize the Durand Line and represent an action against Afghanistan’s national sovereignty.
The former Afghan president also urged the relevant Afghan authorities to provide the public with a clear explanation regarding the recent agreements and developments along the Durand Line.
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