KABUL (Pajhwok): The Wolesi Jirga on Saturday adjoued the general session due to a lack of quorum on the eve of Nowruz . According to the lower house’s code of conduct, general sessions are held on Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays and meetings of...

GARDEZ (Pajhwok): At least 5,000 insurgents have suffered casualties during the past one year in southeaste provinces, a senior police official said on Saturday. Maj. Gen. Assadullah Shirzad, the 303rd Spinghar zone police commander, told a press...

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KABUL (Pajhwok): British Ambassador to Afghanistan Dominic Jermey CVO OBE on Saturday wished all the people of Afghanistan a happy Nawroz, the new Persian year set to be celebrated tomorrow.

“I am delighted to wish all the people of Afghanistan a happy Nawroz. Nawroz is a time of new begiings, to look forward to the New Year with optimism. It’s also an occasion to reflect on the last 12 months as we prepare ourselves for the year ahead,” Jermey said in a statement issued by the British Embassy in Kabul.

The envoy said it had been 20 years since he first came to Kabul. “This is a very different country from the Afghanistan I first knew, with progress in so many different areas.”

Jermey said Afghanistan today was a democracy with a free press and a strong civil society, in which girls could go to school and its sports stars could compete in World Cups. “I know that Afghans will continue to build on these and other gains.”

The ambassador said he was also conscious that Afghanistan still faced many challenges. “2015 was a difficult year for this country, in which the resilience of the Afghan people was once again tested.”

He said the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces had continued to show remarkable courage in protecting their people from insurgent attacks.

“I believe the Afghan people have suffered for far too long from violence. The recent quadrilateral meetings have created a platform for talks to put an end to this. It’s time for the Taliban to put down their weapons and come into a peace process.”

Jermey said Afghanistan has huge potential, a national unity govement that was committed to achieving peace, reform and self-reliance and has the full support of the inteational community. “But this potential can only be fully realised if there is long-term stability.”

He called as important milestones the NATO Warsaw Summit in July and the Brussels Development Conference in October in the coming year.

“The United Kingdom, and I am certain the inteational community, will reaffirm its commitment to Afghanistan and I know the govement of Afghanistan will demonstrate the progress made in delivering the reforms essential to improve the lives of the Afghan people.”

He said he was proud of the UK’s partnership with Afghanistan. “I’m also proud that the UK will continue to support the govement of Afghanistan in building a more peaceful, secure and prosperous future for the people of this beautiful country.”

pr/ma

KABUL (Pajhwok): Traders and vendors in capital Kabul say their sales in Nawroz days have reduced by 60 percent compared to the previous year. Most of Afghans celebrate the New Persian Year by visiting parks, preparing different food items including...

LASHKARGAH (Pajhwok): Thousands of civilians and security forces suffered casualties in violence related incidents during the past one and a half years in southe Helmand province, officials said on Saturday. Abdullah Khaliqi, the oversight section...

JALALABAD (Pajhwok): Ten Russian and Tajik nationals have been detained by intelligence officials from the house of a Daesh commander in easte Nanagarhar province, an official said on Saturday. The security official, who spoke on the condition of...

KABUL (Pajhwok): Senior Japanese diplomat Tadamichi Yamamoto has been appointed as UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan . He replaces Nicholas Haysom of South Africa, who has been appointed as UN’s special envoy for Sudan...

PESHAWAR (Pajhwok): Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak says peace in the region is linked to the security situation in Afghanistan . “Unless Kabul is stable, peace will not be ensured in the province,” he said of the deteriorating...

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KANDAHAR CITY (Pajhwok): The provincial police chief of southe Kandahar province on Friday accused Pakistan of giving heavy weapons, explosives and money to Taliban fighters. Earlier, Pakistan would only provide money and explosives to insurgents...

KABUL (Pajhwok): Human Rights Watch strongly criticised US administrative punishments for 11 military persoel involved in airstrikes on Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) hospital in northe Kunduz province and called it “injustice and insult” to...

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JALALABAD (Pajhwok): At least seven Daesh, or so-called Islamic State (IS), rebels and five members of an uprising have been killed during a clash in the Achin district of easte Nangarhar province, an official said on Thursday. Haji Ghalib Mujahid...

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GARDIZ (Pajhwok): Pakistani forces have entered “several kilometers” inside two districts of southeaste Paktia province from the Durand Line , residents claimed on Thursday. Mohammad Anwar, a resident of Zazi Aryub district, told Pajhwok Afghan...

KABUL (Pajhwok): The outgoing Afghan solar year (March 22, 2015- March 21, 2016) was another dangerous year for joualists in Afghanistan , when a dozen reporters were killed, a free media advocacy group said on Wednesday. NAI, which supports free...

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BAMYAN CITY (Pajhwok): Officials in central Daikundi province on Thursday noted a decline in cropyield, saying there was inadequate snowfall this outgoing winter season.

Daikundi is a mountainous province, with some plains. Most of its residents are reliant on agriculture and livestock, but the local leaders are worried about a possible drought later in the year.

Hadi Rahimizada, a member of the provincial council, told Pajhwok Afghan News the people of Daikundi were poor. He said droughts and other natural disasters brought them more miseries.

He said 90 percent of Daikundi inhabitants were dependent on agriculture and livestock. A drought would affect all of them, the public representative feared.

Rahimzada added the govement should have made contingency plans to deal with the situations and keep people from suffering losses in the event of a drought.

Given the precarious situation, he suggested, the govement provide food items to the people on an emergency basis. If farmers were not supported, most of the people would migrate to Neili, the provincial capital.

Salman, a grower from Neili, confirmed all small rivers passing through the province and vallies might not provide enough water to irrigate lands. He said the drought prospects had worried all farmers.

Salman said farmers had offered special prayer for snowfall, but the province had received snow only once this season. Insufficient snowfall meant lack of irrigation water in the province, he continued.

Agriculture Director Mehdi Mowahidi said the province produced 47,000 toes of wheat, 5,600 toes of co, 7,100 toes of almond, 11,000 toes of apricot and 3,500 toes of apple in the outgoing solar year.

This year drought might affect the provincial production, he feared, explaining the ministry’s programmes -- promotion of vegetable growth, protection of natural agricultural resources, the cultivation of saffron and plantation of 15,000 saplings -- would be affected by the drought.

Karim Sarwash, the goveor’s spokesman, reckoned agricultural production might fall by 30 percent, as there had been less snowfall this winter.

He waed most of the people would be hit by the drought and asked for early help from the central govement and private sector to deal with the situation.

The govement should chalk out plans for the irrigation of orchards, otherwise most of fruit farms would be damaged, he said.

Kabul and some provinces have received a lot of rainfall recently, but experts suggest it would not benefit the agriculture sector because the land could not absorb much of rain waters at this time.

nh/mud