With only a day remaining until one of the biggest NATO summits ever, many top-level representatives have arrived in Chicago for the event that will run from May 20-21.

The NATO summit will be held with the participation of the representatives of 60 countries and international agencies to discuss funding for Afghan forces after 2014.

The summit, lasting two days, will be chaired by the US President Barack Obama.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai will also attend the 25th NATO Summit as the head of the high-level Afghan delegation. President Karzai is expected to meet with President Obama during the course of the NATO summit.

After the holding of second Bonn Conference, the Chicago summit is considered one of the most important meetings of the top NATO officials.

The government of Afghanistan hopes NATO countries, especially America, will announce their commitments to a certain funding for Afghan forces after the year 2014.

NATO high-level meeting in Chicago can clarify how to fund Afghan forces for a long term as it has been one of the most concerning issues of the people of Afghanistan.

The Ministry of Interior (MoI) on Friday held exams in the Kabul Police Academy for recruiting new soldiers into the ranks of the National Police Force.

About 7,500 higher school graduates attended the tests.  Only 1,100 of them will be recruited into the National Police.

Chief of the Kabul police academy Nawroz Khaliq said 500 officers-in-training will be sent to Turkey for a period of 6 months to obtain various police trainings and the remaining officer cadets will be trained for a period of 4 years at the Kabul Police Academy.

Currently, 150,000 policemen are operating throughout the country and this figure is expected to increase by another 9,000 people by the end of 2014.

The equipping and training of Afghan security forces is one of the top priorities of the Afghan government and the international community.

The Afghan government along with its allies’ supports spending a huge amount annually on the training of Afghan security forces in order to make them capable of maintaining security after the withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan.

Military experts believe only by strengthening national security forces can a secure and stable Afghanistan can be ensured in the region.

Afghanistan’s Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) has welcomed Pakistan’s announcement that NATO supply routes would open.

Though transport prices may increase as NATO supply routes re-open, Pakistan’s dual policy against Afghanistan’s transit goods may be reduced to a large extent, ACCI deputy director Khan Jan Alkozai said.

He said Afghan traders had suffered over $100 million dollars in losses during the last few months due to the stoppage of Afghan goods containers under the pretext of stopping the shipment of NATO supply goods in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, ACCI officials asked the traders to contribute in the strengthening and development of Islamic Education and Heath sectors.

Pakistan had closed supply routes for the NATO forces stationed in Afghanistan following the killing of 24 soldiers in a NATO air-bombing raid on the Salala check post bordering Afghanistan last November.

Recently, some Pakistani government officials announced it will reopen its routes for NATO supplies. This decision was also welcomed by Washington.

President Karzai’s National Security Advisor Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta has urged media to avoid any defamation which cause damages to others.

In an exclusive interview with Ariana Television channel, Spanta said freedom of expression was one of the achievements of the past decade but this freedom should not curtail others’ freedoms.

He said without the freedom of media and its professionalism, freedom of expression cannot be institutionalized in the country.

Despite the current challenges in the media, he said freedom of expression was in better condition in Afghanistan than in neighboring regional countries.  He added that Afghanistan had been a pioneer in journalistic press freedoms and has moved ahead of numerous other democratic countries.

According to him, President Karzai is strongly committed to support the strengthening of freedom of expression in the country.

This comes as many of the journalists in the country say the condition of the freedom of expression has been changed and many government officials treat reporters and journalists badly.

A new report published on the situation of journalists says there has been an increase of violence against journalists that has been allowed by government officials and security forces.

The Ministry of Public Works and Social Affairs with the cooperation of Afghan Wireless Communication Company (AWCC) and Bayat Foundation launched a running competition under the name of “let’s say no to the drugs.”

The contest began Friday morning in Kabul where the participants had to cover the distance of 6 km from Habibia High School to the Amanullah Palace.

The purpose of launching the running competition was to encourage young people to exercise and create coordination among the employees of the Ministry of Public Works and Social Affairs, a ministry official said.

The head of AWCC coordinating programs, Massoud Mehdizada, announced that AWCC will launch similar programs in the future in order to encourage youngsters to participate in different sports.

At the end of the contest, AWCC distributed cash prizes to the contestants.  Umeed Fazly won First Prize while Ajmi Hafizi and Nematullah Obaidi got the Second and Third prizes.

NDS officials in Baghlan have expressed concerns about illegal Pakistanis working in different factories in the province.

Baghlan National Directorate of Security (NDS) head Hafizullah Amin said many Pakistani nationals have entered Afghanistan with tourist visas and are working without work permits in the province.

He said provincial NDS officials have detained many of the Pakistani nationals living illegally in Baghlan.

A number of factories in Baghlan have admitted that many Pakistani citizens are working in their enterprises without work permits.

The Ministry of Public Works and Social Affairs has warned about the presence of Pakistani workers in the factories—labeling them “threats for the security.”

The Ministry spokesman Ali Iftekhar says they won’t issue work permits to Pakistani nationals until theys receive invitations from the Foreign Ministry and are approved by the Interpol Police.

National Directorate of Security has long been concerned about Pakistanis working illegally in private companies.

Dr. Zalmai Khalilzad, international relations expert has written in his recent article “How to keep Afghanistan Secure”, “The Obama administration deserves credit for expanding the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police. The president appeared to understand that the formula for long-term success was enabling Afghans to defend Afghanistan, with financial and other support from the United States and other friendly powers. However, in announcing the U.S.-Afghanistan strategic partnership agreement, President Obama also declared plans to reduce sharply the size of the ANSF starting in 2015, from 352,000 army and police to 230,000 by 2017. The Obama administration did not condition this reduction on positive changes in the security environment. If Washington pursues this goal irrespective of conditions on the ground, it risks repeating the mistakes of the past”.

Dr. Khalilzad believes, “Announcing Afghan forces will be reduced significantly in size further undermines the president’s goal of getting the Taliban to reconcile on acceptable terms. Part of the U.S. rationale behind signing a long-term strategic partnership agreement with Afghanistan, which commits the United States to Afghanistan’s security, was to bring the Taliban, as well as their Pakistani sponsors, to the table. By conveying that U.S. forces will remain in the region, Washington hopes the Taliban and their Pakistani allies will conclude the only sensible course of action is political reconciliation. But accompanying the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO combat forces with the downsizing of the ANSF negates this message—the remaining of some U.S. force in Afghanistan, and instead will encourage Afghanistan’s enemies, who believe time is on their side, to wait for favorable conditions”.

Dr. Khalilzad also wrote, “The extent to which the planned reductions would be modified based on conditions on the ground is not clear. Administration officials have offered mixed signals. President Obama should state unambiguously that future ANSF reductions will take place only if they will not imperil U.S. national-security interests. The upcoming NATO summit in Chicago is the perfect forum for such clarification”.

In a letter to President Obama, congressmen expressed concern about the Obama administration’s plans and wrote “The United States needs to ensure that decisions on the future size and funding for the ANSF will be based on security conditions in Afghanistan at that time, and not set spending levels that could not only jeopardize the progress of the past decade or weaken the security of Afghanistan when they take effect down the road but could also send the wrong message in the interim”. 86 Congressmen have signed this letter.

There are 532 US Congressmen.

Barbara Lee, the democratic representative of California State in US House of Representatives, who also leads a group Congressmen that support the pullout of US troops from Afghanistan before 2014, told media on the eve of Chicago Conference, “86 Congressmen called President Obama to accelerate the security transition process in Afghanistan and announce the pullout of US troops in Chicago Conference”.

In a letter to President Obama regarding the earlier pullout of US troops from Afghanistan, some Congressmen said “the prolonging of war will only result the killing and wounding of more US troops”.

While most schools, roads and infrastructure in United States require reconstruction, but the government spends 10 billion dollars in Afghanistan per month, one of these representatives said.

However, President Obama has announced the pullout of US troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014, but we want the earlier pullout, Congressmen said.

According to President Obama’s plans, all US combating troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan by the end of 2014 and some other forces, who will remain in Afghanistan according to the strategic pact, will train and support Afghan forces against insurgents.

The US Congress has 532 members, 86 of whom want the early pullout of US forces from Afghanistan.

There have always been some in congress that want the US to leave Afghanistan–but they are far from a majority.

Four suicide bombers attacked governor house in the western Farah province on Thursday morning but were killed by the Afghan security forces. The bombers were wearing border police uniform and entered the governor’s office at 10:30 am.

The attackers were equipped with light weapons and suicide waists, security officials said. 11 people, including 4 attackers were dead in the incident, officials added.

The elementary investigation shows that the attackers were the local residents of Farah province and it is suspected that 4 fellows of these attackers still exist in Farah city, Muhammad Ghows Malyar, the head of Farah police.

14 people, including policemen and civilians have wounded in the incident, Abdul Jabar Shahiq, the head of Farah Central Hospital said.

The attackers tried to enter to the governor’s office but were killed by the security forces, one of the injured said.

Anti-government officials have taken the responsibilities of this attack.

This is the first group attack that happened in Western Farah Province during the new solar year. Local residents express concerns over the security situation and called security forces to take necessary measures in this regard.

The female representatives in the Wolesi Jirga (Lower House of the Parliament) demanded President Karzai Sunday to introduce female members of the Supreme Court so that women will be included in the Judiciary panel.

The female lawmakers said although female workers are operating in legislative and administrative boards, their absence in the Judiciary showed a form of injustice in the society.

One of the main reasons that violence against women continues as such a big problem in Afghanistan is the absence of women in the judiciary, female lawmakers told the House.

The MPs demanded President Karzai to introduce the newly nominated Supreme Court members for a vote of confidence to the Wolesi Jirga.

President Karzai on last Monday nominated Mohammad Sarwar Danish, former Justice Minister, and Abdul Malik Kamavi, currently Administration Director of the Judiciary, as members of the High Council of the Supreme Court of Afghanistan.

Based on article 117 of Afghanistan’s constitution, the High Council of the Supreme Court should have 9 members designated by the President and approved by the Wolesi Jirga. Three of them should serve for four years, three others for seven years and the other three should serve for ten years.