The Commission for Contact with Afghan Personalities says nearly 700 officials of the previous government, politicians, members of the National Council and some experts have returned to Afghanistan since the establishment of the commission early last year.

“Six hundred and eighty people from different countries have returned to the country,” said the commission’s spokesman, Ahmadullah Wasiq.

He stated that among these people are former officials of the old government who worked in various ministries and departments.

He added that currently, a large number of personalities, including politicians and high-ranking officials of the former government, have received application forms to return to the country through this commission, and will come home soon.

“We have distributed hundreds of forms [to them] and our wish is that in the near future many of the people will return to the country, so for now this process is going very well,” Wasiq added.

A number of those who have returned to the country, however, are demanding some changes to the commission, adding that the caretaker government should make effective use of the cadres and experts who return and provide them with work opportunities.

“The method of this process should be changed, such as communicating with experts or elites or politicians. Second, when these people come to Afghanistan, they should be provided with work,” said Amanullah Ghalib, former head of Breshna Sherkat, who also returned to the country recently.

Officials have repeatedly requested Afghans living abroad, including politicians and officials of the previous government, to return to their homeland and continue their normal lives in Afghanistan in accordance with the general amnesty issued by the Islamic Emirate’s supreme leader.

The Ministry of Public Health said on Sunday at an event to mark World Heart Day that 2,000 people in the country died from heart disease in the 18 months.

According to officials, up to 6,000 people are diagnosed with heart disease every year.

Non-communicable cardiovascular disease is considered one of the ten deadly diseases in the world.

Ministry of Health officials say; from March 2022 to October 2023, more than 6,000 people have been diagnosed with heart problems and that 2,000 people died in this time.

“In the past year, 26,946 people with heart disease have come to us, and these patients have been provided with in- and out-patient services, and nearly 2,000 people with heart disease who were elderly or had high blood pressure and other diseases, died,” said Sharaf Zaman Amarkhel, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health.

According to doctors, the main causes of cardiovascular diseases are smoking, alcohol, unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, and obesity. This can lead to high cholesterol, and high blood pressure, officials said.

“Unfortunately, in our society, people use a lot of oil and salt, and we still don’t exercise alongside it,” said Haider Khan Haider, Director General of Disease Prevention and Control of the Ministry of Public Health.

However, officials of the Association of Cardiovascular Doctors say that the institution performs up to four heart operations daily.

“Keeping the heart healthy is not a one-day job, but requires a long-term commitment. Our message is clear; have a balanced diet, be active and take care, and let’s prefer drinking water over other soft and energy drinks,” said Abdulwahid Siddiqi, the head of the Afghan Cardiovascular Doctors Association.

Cardiovascular disease affects millions of people around the world and an estimated 20 million people die from it annually.

Australia and Netherlands got some game-time under their belt in the first round of warm-up matches on Saturday, albeit in a match that ended in no result. Elsewhere, the India-England clash was called off without a ball being bowled.

Australia won the toss and opted to bat however the match was eventually abandoned due to rain.

But Thiruvananthapuram finally got to see some warm-up action at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 after Friday’s clash between South Africa and Afghanistan was abandoned due to rain.

Saturday’s action was also truncated by rain, with only a 23-over-a-side game possible after a late start.

Having already played three games in India recently and familiar with the conditions, Australia decided to experiment with their batting order by giving their lower order a chance with the bat.

Steve Smith opened the batting with Josh Inglis but the latter’s stay at the crease was cut short by a peach of an inswinger from Logan van Beek. Smith, meanwhile, was on the attack and scored a fiery 55 off 42 balls laced with four boundaries and three maximums.

Australia lost Alex Carey and Glenn Maxwell in quick succession to the spin of Roelof van der Merwe and Shariz Ahmad respectively. Mitchell Starc came in at No.6 after Smith’s dismissal, and gave a good account of himself with an unbeaten 24 off 22 balls. Skipper Pat Cummins at No.7 couldn’t do the same.

Cameron Green gave the innings some much-needed impetus as well with a 26-ball 34 as Australia finished at 166/7 in 23 overs.

In reply, Netherlands were blown away by Mitchell Starc’s fiery spell that contained a stunning hat-trick. With three almost identical in-swingers, Starc removed three batters for golden ducks. He first trapped Max O’Dowd in front of the stumps before rattling the woodwork of Wesley Barresi and Bas de Leede.

Mitchell Marsh removed Vikramjit Singh soon after and Netherlands never managed to recover from the early loss of wickets. Colin Ackermann and Scott Edwards were the only two batters to get to double-digit scores and saved the Dutch from slipping further.

Just as a result was in sight, the rain returned in the 14th over and the match was abandoned with Netherlands at 84/6.

The Dutch will continue their stay at Thiruvananthapuram as they play their second warm-up game against India on Tuesday, 3 October. Australia head to Hyderabad to take on Pakistan on the same day.

England vs India

The warm-up match between India and England in Guwahati on Saturday was abandoned due to persistent rain. The only action possible was the toss, which Rohit Sharma won and elected to bat.

But just as the players were about to take the field, it started pouring and never relented.

Both teams will be hoping to get some game-time before the World Cup begins in the second round of warm-up matches. England will remain in Guwahati to face Bangladesh on 2 October while India travel to Thiruvananthapuram to face Netherlands.

Watch all warm up matches live

Ariana Television Network kicked off its live broadcast campaign of the ODI World Cup on Friday, September 29. Sadly, Afghanistan’s first warm up match – against South Africa – was rained out.

Both Afghanistan’s warm up matches will be broadcast live, on Ariana Television, along with other key matches. However, the balance of matches will be streamed live on our website.

Ariana Television broadcasts of warm up matches will start at 12:30pm on Friday, Saturday, Monday and Tuesday. Live coverage of other matches, on the same days, will be streamed on our websites.

For the full warm up broadcast and streaming schedule see table below.