Interview with the new governor of Nangarhar

Haji Din Mohammad, brother of Haji Qadir, the assassinated former Afghan vice-president and governor of the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar, admits he faces a tough challenge ahead. No stranger to politics, he held the position of education minister under the former government of President Burhanuddin Rabbani. But as the newly appointed governor of Nangarhar he probably holds the most powerful position in eastern Afghanistan today. In an interview with IRIN in the provincial capital, Jalalabad, Haji Din Mohammad, who maintained security in the region was his top priority, called on the international community to further extend its help to Nangahar where there remains a desperate need . QUESTION: As the newly appointed governor of Nangarhar, what are your main priorities? ANSWER: The first thing we need is security and only then can we start the work of reconstruction. In this respect we would welcome ISAF here. The other priority is to take care of the Afghan refugees who are coming back. It is our responsibility to make sure they are made welcome. More than 350,000 Afghans have returned to this region already and it will be a big burden. Q: How are you going to cope with the extra burden of refugees returning? A: I have contacted the UN authorities and have asked them how we should deal with this. We cannot do this alone and we still need help. Q: Following deteriorating security in this region and the recent assassination of your brother, Haji Qadir, many NGOs have left the eastern region. How are you going to encourage them to return? A: Security is not as bad now. The UN agencies are operating from here and there are no problems in the city. We would urge them [The NGOs] to return and help us. We are also surveying humanitarian activities in this area to see how effectively they are working. We want to know how much money is actually being spent on helping the people. Q: How can you ensure security here when there is factional fighting brewing in the neighbouring eastern province of Laghman after Hamid Karzai appointed a new governor there? A: All of the governors are independent in the neighbouring provinces. The central government should have consulted us regarding the new appointments. However, we invited the governor of Laghman to Jalalabad and discussed the problems he is facing. We hope we can help him establish security there soon. Q: With regards to the health system in the province - many districts do not have access to healthcare. What can you do to ensure people have access to primary healthcare? A: We have two sources of healthcare - the public health department and the university hospital. We simply do not have enough equipment or medicines to meet the health requirements in this province. On the other hand, there are UN agencies and NGOs working on health, but even their services cannot meet the needs of the whole population. We urge the international community to help in this respect. People in the community are keen to revive the health system. When I took this office, over the weekend a group of female nurses with more than 20 years of experience came to visit me. They complained that they had been dismissed due to the new structure of streamlining from the central government in Kabul. This was due to the government’s budget so we contacted the central authorities regarding this matter, telling them we need to reemploy these people. Q: Being so close to the border with Pakistan, you have faced some difficulties recently, specifically with the closure of the border and mistreatment of Afghans who are trying to cross either into Afghanistan or back into Pakistan. How are you dealing with this? A: There are many Afghans living in Peshawar. Before moving to Afghanistan permanently, some family members are returning to rebuild homes before others return. Pakistan has hosted many Afghans and we must thank them for being so generous. But there are some obstacles for refugees now, particularly Afghan women who are being harassed at the border. We are now in contact with the Pakistani consul in Jalalabad and have asked them to ensure our people are not mistreated in Pakistan. Q: Do you have a problem with elements of the Taliban or Al Qaeda here? I don’t feel any threat from them. Our armed forces have no threat from them and we have not received any information recently to say they are present here. Even if they do cross the border into Pakistan, it is so mountainous and so long that it is difficult for anyone to stop them. Q: What role do you see the women of Nangarhar playing here? A: We will give them a role according to our customs. We don’t want them to be treated the way they were under the Taliban. Female representatives were sent for the Loya Jirga in Kabul. We have women working in health and education and we want the numbers of women working in the government to be increased. However, they must work according to Afghan culture and not western culture [in terms of dress]. Q: As a former minister for education, how much importance are you placing on it in Nangarhar? A: I am very much for education. I want to increase the number of schools. But special attention should be paid to the standards of education. Q: What sort of future do the people of Nangarhar have? A: We want peace and tranquility. Nangarhar was always the place where rival factions were brought to for resolving disputes and we want this to remain a safe place. I want the people in this region to have a good and peaceful life.