Ghani Arrives in Mazar to Review Local Gov’t Performance

President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani entered Balkh province late on Monday after inaugurating the railway connecting Afghanistan and Turkmenistan.

Last night during his visits, the President has hold meetings with Atta Muhammad Noor, the acting-governor of Balkh, tribal elders, and civil society activists.

Presidential spokesman, Haroon Chakhansuri has said that the purpose of Ghani’s visit is to review the performance of the local government.

According to a statement released in the official Facebook page related to the acting-governor of Balkh, the President has appreciated development and progresses in the northern province of Afghanistan.

Earlier reports emerged that President Ghani has agreed to reappoint Mr. Noor as the governor of Balkh, but presidential spokesman says that no such decision has been included in the agenda of this trip yet.

Noor is a powerful politician in the north of Afghanistan who was actually dismissed as governor of Balkh province by President Ghani, as part of a mass firing of all 34 Afghan provincial governors. He has held the position since 2004.