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Three ministerial candidates present their plans to parliament
Nominee ministers for foreign affairs, finance and interior, on Monday presented their operational strategies to the Wolesi Jirga, or Lower House of Parliament, for their votes of confidence.
Acting foreign minister Haneef Atmar said if there is no peace agreement reached between the Afghan team and the Taliban in Qatar, national and regional consensus will be jeopardized, and even if the peace process is successful, the threat of terrorism will not end in Afghanistan.
“The issue of peace is a serious need, and if this process does not succeed, the national and regional consensus will be jeopardized and the system and the country will be damaged, and if we find peace with the Taliban, still the threat of terrorism will remain,” Atmar told MPs.
He also stated that peace and stability in Afghanistan would be in the best interests of the region and the world.
However, he stated that “Afghanistan will be faced with terrorism threats” even if a peace deal is reached with the Taliban.
Atmar stated that regional and global cooperation in respect of the Afghan peace process was needed and that assistance from stakeholders in fighting terrorism was also necessary.
He said economic growth was also dependent on regional and foreign cooperation especially in terms of transit and trade connectivity.
Atmar said the international community’s assistance to Afghanistan needs to become responsible and effective.
“We will not let anyone undermine our national sovereignty,” he said.
Acting interior minister Massoud Andarabi and acting finance minister Abdul Hadi Arghandiwal also presented their strategies to MPs.
Arghandiwal said if he wins a vote of confidence as finance minister, he will increase domestic revenue to 400 billion Afghanis by 2025 and declare Afghanistan as economically independent in the same year.
Arghandiwal said under his reform program, the finance ministry will be able to collect $700 million in the short-term from the international community.
He also said that the construction of hydro-electric dams, investment in the agricultural sector, and mining were areas that would be prioritized under his leadership.
Arghandiwal stated that the problem of corruption in the country is a major challenge that requires serious action. He also said more than 1,000 people have been referred to the Attorney General's Office on charges of corruption in customs and other revenue sectors.
Meanwhile, Massoud Andarabi, the nominee and acting minister for interior, told members of the Wolesi Jirga that the Taliban had increased violence across the country by changing their tactics.
Andarabi said targeted assassinations, attacks on district centers and roadside bombs are key tactics now being used by the Taliban.
He added that security forces had responded to all Taliban action in Helmand and Kandahar provinces.
Meanwhile, some lawmakers have criticized some of the nominees and accused them of being corrupt, saying they are “old faces”.
MPs have however decided that once all 10 ministerial candidates have presented their operational plans, lawmakers will vote by ballot on Thursday to determine the fate of the candidates.
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Eight Afghan migrants die as boat capsizes off Greek island
Eight Afghan migrants died after a speedboat carrying migrants capsized off Greece's eastern island of Rhodes on Friday, the Associated Press reported.
Greek authorities said that the capsizing was the result of the boat’s maneuvering to evade a patrol vessel.
A total of 18 migrants — 12 men, three women and three minors — all Afghan nationals, were rescued, Greece's coast guard said Saturday. The dead were also from Afghanistan, it said.
Some migrants remained hospitalized, with one in critical condition, authorities said.
Two Turkish citizens, ages 23 and 19, were arrested as the suspected traffickers. The boat sank after capsizing, the coast guard said.
The sinking off Rhodes was the second deadly incident involving migrants in the past week.
Seven migrants were killed and dozens were believed missing after a boat partially sank south of the island of Crete over the weekend — one of four rescue operations during which more than 200 migrants were rescued.
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Norwegian Chargé d’Affaires meets with IEA deputy foreign minister
Welcoming the diplomat’s visit to Kabul, Stanikzai underscored the importance of political relations between Afghanistan and Norway, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
The Norwegian Chargé d’Affaires for Afghanistan, Per Albert Ilsaas, on Saturday met with IEA’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, Sher Muhammad Abbas Stanikzai, in Kabul.
Welcoming the diplomat’s visit to Kabul, Stanikzai underscored the importance of political relations between Afghanistan and Norway, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
In addition to focusing on bilateral political, humanitarian, and other pertinent issues, the two sides expressed hope that continued engagement would lead to constructive solutions to related issues.
This comes two weeks after the Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi expressed disappointment regarding the decision by the Norwegian government to downgrade diplomatic relations with Afghanistan.
Balkhi said in a post on X that such decisions should not be linked with internal affairs of other countries.
“Diplomatic engagement is most effective when it fosters mutual understanding and respect, even amidst differing viewpoints,” he stated.
“Access to consular services is a fundamental right of all nationals. We strongly urge all parties to prioritize this principle in the spirit of international cooperation,” he added.
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A new polio vaccination campaign is set to launch in Afghanistan
Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only two countries in the world where polio has not been eradicated.
The “Afghanistan Polio-Free” organization announced that a new round of polio vaccinations will begin on Monday, December 23, in various provinces of Afghanistan.
The organization did not specify which provinces will be targeted or how long the vaccination campaign will last.
Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only two countries in the world where polio has not been eradicated.
On December 4, 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a statement reporting a 283% increase in polio cases in Afghanistan. According to the WHO, the number of positive environmental samples for wild poliovirus type 1 in Afghanistan in 2024 reached 84, compared to 62 cases in 2023.
The Ministry of Public Health claimed in November 2024 that no new cases of polio had been reported in Afghanistan for the year.
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