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Zakhilwal says customs posts were being sold during Ghani rule
Customs posts were being sold for whopping prices during President Ashraf Ghani’s rule, Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal, a former finance minister, said this week.
Speaking in an interview with Ariana News, Zakhilwal, who served as finance minister during Karzai’s rule, said that the customs posts were being sold from one lakh up to millions of dollars.
He said that the bribery was happening because people close to Ghani were monopolizing power.
“Customs employees were telling me that the posts were being sold for millions of dollars, five lakhs and one lakh,” Zakhilwal said.
The former finance minister on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) not to monopolize power if it wants corruption to be eradicated.
He also said that if IEA wants to win people’s hearts, it should respect values that they respect.
On the issue of girls’ education, Zakhilwal called on IEA to reopen girls’ schools for students above the sixth grade, suggesting there is no valid reason for their closure.
“There is no Sharia-based, logistic or cultural justification for the closure of schools or for our sisters not to be allowed to work,” Zakhilwal said.
Although he said he was not supporting IEA, but he opposed fight against it. He said that the sides should use political means instead of fighting which has proved not to be a solution.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan, has questioned Pakistan’s commitment to the welfare of the Afghan people, citing Islamabad’s policies over the past three decades.
Khalilzad said in a post on X that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif advocated for the rights of Afghan women during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday.
Sharif said: “Fundamental rights of the Afghan people — especially women and girls — must be respected.”
Responding to the remarks, Khalilzad said Pakistan’s policies over the past 30 years raise questions about Sharif’s commitment to Afghan welfare.
He cited Pakistan’s support for militant groups against US forces and what he described as the poor treatment of Afghan refugees as examples.
Khalilzad also said Afghanistan and Pakistan need and should have much better relations, adding that “a reset is necessary.”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Rabab Fatima, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X that Misri underscored the need to keep addressing the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people as a priority.
Misri also appreciated the role of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and reaffirmed India’s continued cooperation with the United Nations on Afghanistan.
The meeting comes as Afghanistan continues to face humanitarian and economic challenges, with international agencies warning of significant needs among the Afghan population.
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi has called for pragmatic and coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan, saying the country’s long-term stability is closely linked to the security and sustainable development of Central Asia.
Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Tileuberdi said humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan remains essential but alone cannot break the cycle of poverty, displacement and dependency.
He said Kazakhstan supports a “pragmatic, coordinated and step-by-step” approach to international engagement with Afghanistan, with the United Nations playing a central role.
Tileuberdi also said Kazakhstan is working with the UN to operationalize the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
He said the success of the centre should be measured by the results and assistance it delivers to the region.
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