Interview with Hamidullah Tokhi, governor of Zabol Province

Zabol in southern Afghanistan is one of the poorest provinces in the country. With a population of more than a million, it is often neglected. In an interview with IRIN, in the southern city of Kandahar, Hamidullah Tokhi, the governor of Zabol Province, said he felt one of his greatest challenges was to ensure that salaries of Afghans were paid soon, before they lost faith in the Interim Administration. With regard to security in the province, Tokhi said it was "generally safe". However, he requested the presence of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). QUESTION: How would you describe security in Zabol at present? ANSWER: Of course there cannot be maximum security in the whole of Afghanistan. But we have managed to keep Zabol secure due to the collection of arms from sections of society, and we have found that people are being cooperative. They themselves don't want to carry weapons. As a result, there have been very few incidents. Q: There are reports that the local Loya Jirga elections were disturbed by what could have been Taliban elements. Is this true? A: We feel that in general the election went smoothly. However, there are some elements who do not want peace in the country. But those elements can never be successful, I can assure you of that. People chose whomever they wanted to choose during the election. There was one extreme group of people who were trying to get people to vote for them, but we put a stop to this. There are pockets of Taliban, but they are not visible and they are not able to interfere in what we are doing. Whenever there is an incident, we are there. A few days ago there was a problem in northern Zabol, where rockets were fired, but nobody knows who was behind this. I personally visited the area and local people assured me that there would be peace there. Petty crimes can happen anywhere in the world, but we are able to control 90 percent of crime in the province. Q: Would you like ISAF to have a presence in Zabol? A: The coalition forces were here for a month and then left, because they said it was relatively safe here. But I did ask them to stay. I'm sure the province will be secure, but I would still request ISAF to come to Zabol too. Q: The southern region is known for being home to the Pashtun tribe, and there have been reports of ethnic persecution against the Afghan Tajiks. What is your response to this? A: These reports are unfounded. My deputy is a Tajik. The head of the bank is a Tajik, and we do not segregate them in any way. Q: What are the opportunities for the women of Zabol ? A: Although Zabol is not that much of a prosperous and progressive city, we would like the women to be in the Loya Jirga. We cannot segregate them. We have qualified women in the province, and they must enrol and participate in the election. They have been deprived for many years. The public may not support women because of our tradition and culture, but we want them to part of the process. Q: With the number of refugees returning to Afghanistan increasing day by day, how are you preparing for returnees ? A: We have a plan for returnees, but we cannot help them, because we don't have any resources, and we call on the international community to help us. People are really poor and have suffered for years, especially those who've been displaced and those who have become refugees. There are queues of people who need help outside my office and residence every day. I've called on chairman Karzai to help us help these people. We cannot bear to see our own people in this state, without proper clothes and shelter. Most of them are widows, and I cannot turn them away, but I have nothing to give them. Sometimes I give them food which should be given to the soldiers and police, because I cannot help them in any other way. They are poor and part and parcel of our family. Q: What are the biggest challenges you face in Zabol? A: One of the biggest challenges is to solve the problem of salaries. Hundreds of people have not been paid by the government. We have many departments, the soldiers and police who need to be paid. Zabol is one of the poorest economies in the country, and people's demands are high. Our schools are not functioning properly, because teachers are now demanding pay. They see the international community here, but they feel they have been overlooked. This is the biggest problem facing us.