This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/8199035.stm
The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Previous version
1
Next version
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
Election buzz in remotest Afghanistan | Election buzz in remotest Afghanistan |
(about 3 hours later) | |
By M Ilyas Khan BBC News, Badakhshan Little has changed in Badakhshan province over the years | By M Ilyas Khan BBC News, Badakhshan Little has changed in Badakhshan province over the years |
Tucked away in a remote north-east corner of Afghanistan, Badakhshan province exists in a world of its own. | Tucked away in a remote north-east corner of Afghanistan, Badakhshan province exists in a world of its own. |
It is a mass of snowy peaks and scattered valleys, with no sustainable road network and only a dirt track to connect the province with the rest of the country. | It is a mass of snowy peaks and scattered valleys, with no sustainable road network and only a dirt track to connect the province with the rest of the country. |
Yet it is the question of who rules in the capital, Kabul, some 600km (373 miles) south-west across treacherous valleys, that is looming large as the presidential elections draw near. | Yet it is the question of who rules in the capital, Kabul, some 600km (373 miles) south-west across treacherous valleys, that is looming large as the presidential elections draw near. |
Afghanistan goes to polls on 20 August. | Afghanistan goes to polls on 20 August. |
So too will Mohammadullah Khan, a peasant from Daraim valley, some 50km (31 miles) south of Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan. | |
I will certainly express my opinion, and so will my wife and two sons Mohammadullah Khan | I will certainly express my opinion, and so will my wife and two sons Mohammadullah Khan |
On election day, his family members will ride their pony and two donkeys to the polling station, which a one-and-a-half hour journey from their home. | On election day, his family members will ride their pony and two donkeys to the polling station, which a one-and-a-half hour journey from their home. |
Yar Mohammad, an ironsmith from Eshakashem, 120km (74 miles) south-east of Faizabad, says he will do the same. | |
"All of us must vote, because if we don't, it will weaken the system," he says. | "All of us must vote, because if we don't, it will weaken the system," he says. |
Both Yar Mohammad and Mohammadullah Khan are part of a landscape that is stunningly beautiful but whose inhabitants endure primitive lifestyles and extreme poverty. | Both Yar Mohammad and Mohammadullah Khan are part of a landscape that is stunningly beautiful but whose inhabitants endure primitive lifestyles and extreme poverty. |
Both men travelled for hours in slow-moving vans across bumpy dirt tracks to bring their sons - aged between five and six years old - to a Faizabad hospital to treat them for hernias. | Both men travelled for hours in slow-moving vans across bumpy dirt tracks to bring their sons - aged between five and six years old - to a Faizabad hospital to treat them for hernias. |
The doctors here say hernia issues are pretty common among children. Malnutrition, whooping cough and sometimes iodine deficiency can be the cause. | The doctors here say hernia issues are pretty common among children. Malnutrition, whooping cough and sometimes iodine deficiency can be the cause. |
The two families' problems are more or less the same as those of the vast majority of the people of Badakhshan. | The two families' problems are more or less the same as those of the vast majority of the people of Badakhshan. |
Puppet government? | Puppet government? |
So, ahead of these elections, what has the present government in Kabul done for Badakhshan's population, compared with the former warlords who ruled in isolation? | So, ahead of these elections, what has the present government in Kabul done for Badakhshan's population, compared with the former warlords who ruled in isolation? |
[The Taliban] haven't tried anything more sinister than verbally inciting people to boycott the election Aqa Noor Kentoos | [The Taliban] haven't tried anything more sinister than verbally inciting people to boycott the election Aqa Noor Kentoos |
Badakhshan province police chief | Badakhshan province police chief |
Many in the province say, "very little". Some even denounce the incumbent government as an American puppet, with no will of its own. | Many in the province say, "very little". Some even denounce the incumbent government as an American puppet, with no will of its own. |
They point out that no effort has been made during the past seven years to build roads in the region and that there is no communications infrastructure. | They point out that no effort has been made during the past seven years to build roads in the region and that there is no communications infrastructure. |
Since the Soviet occupation ended, Badakhshan, like other parts of Afghanistan, has seen the rise of warlords who have now been co-opted by the Karzai government and who now hold various provincial offices of power. | Since the Soviet occupation ended, Badakhshan, like other parts of Afghanistan, has seen the rise of warlords who have now been co-opted by the Karzai government and who now hold various provincial offices of power. |
Many have benefited immensely from Badakhshan's vast poppy crops and are still said to control its gemstone mines, as well as border trade with Tajikistan. | Many have benefited immensely from Badakhshan's vast poppy crops and are still said to control its gemstone mines, as well as border trade with Tajikistan. |
More recently the Taliban, who have never enjoyed a foothold in this majority ethnic Tajik region, have been showing up on the southern outskirts of the province - near the border with Pakistan - asking people not to vote in the election. | More recently the Taliban, who have never enjoyed a foothold in this majority ethnic Tajik region, have been showing up on the southern outskirts of the province - near the border with Pakistan - asking people not to vote in the election. |
Warlord-affiliated | Warlord-affiliated |
However, a growing number of people believe that while all of this may be true, there are signs of change on the horizon. | However, a growing number of people believe that while all of this may be true, there are signs of change on the horizon. |
For the first time in Badakhshan's history, the government is building a 105km-long (65-mile) road from Faizabad to Keshem, on the border with neighbouring Takhar province. | For the first time in Badakhshan's history, the government is building a 105km-long (65-mile) road from Faizabad to Keshem, on the border with neighbouring Takhar province. |
Baz Mohammad Ahmadi, a former warlord-affiliated to Afghanistan's Jamiat-e-Islami party and current governor of Badakhshan, says the road will be completed in 2010. | Baz Mohammad Ahmadi, a former warlord-affiliated to Afghanistan's Jamiat-e-Islami party and current governor of Badakhshan, says the road will be completed in 2010. |
If the present system doesn't work, then the warlords will be back, and that will be bad for the people Qasim Jan, local farmer | If the present system doesn't work, then the warlords will be back, and that will be bad for the people Qasim Jan, local farmer |
In addition, the past seven years have brought massive development funds from Western donors to boost the government's efforts to extend health facilities in the region. | In addition, the past seven years have brought massive development funds from Western donors to boost the government's efforts to extend health facilities in the region. |
Health officials say more than 70 new facilities have been built across different valleys in the area. | Health officials say more than 70 new facilities have been built across different valleys in the area. |
"A lot more needs to be done, but we have made a start," says Dr Momin Jalaly, the provincial health chief. | "A lot more needs to be done, but we have made a start," says Dr Momin Jalaly, the provincial health chief. |
The Afghan government has also been successful in eradicating poppy farming in Badakhshan, which until last year was the country's second largest opium-producing region after Helmand province. | The Afghan government has also been successful in eradicating poppy farming in Badakhshan, which until last year was the country's second largest opium-producing region after Helmand province. |
Officials say this success is partly owed to the government's policy of absorbing the warlords into its infrastructure. | Officials say this success is partly owed to the government's policy of absorbing the warlords into its infrastructure. |
"Many local warlords were given police jobs in the districts, and were told to prevent poppy cultivation in their areas if they wanted to keep their jobs," says a senior government official in Faizabad. | "Many local warlords were given police jobs in the districts, and were told to prevent poppy cultivation in their areas if they wanted to keep their jobs," says a senior government official in Faizabad. |
As for the Taliban, they are not a tangible threat, says Aqa Noor Kentoos, the provincial police chief. | As for the Taliban, they are not a tangible threat, says Aqa Noor Kentoos, the provincial police chief. |
As the elections approach, a growing number of people appear to realise that changes have taken place in Afghanistan and they are getting over their paranoia from the past. | As the elections approach, a growing number of people appear to realise that changes have taken place in Afghanistan and they are getting over their paranoia from the past. |
"If the present system doesn't work, then the warlords will be back, and that will be bad for the people," says Qasim Jan, a local farmer. | "If the present system doesn't work, then the warlords will be back, and that will be bad for the people," says Qasim Jan, a local farmer. |
Previous version
1
Next version