Eye on the News [email protected] Truthful, Factual and Unbiased Vol:X Issue No:185 Price: Afs.15 Weekend Issue, Sponsored by Etisalat FRIDAY . FEBRUARY 03. 2017 -Dalw 15, 1395 H.S www.facebook.com/ afghanistantimes www.twitter.com/ afghanistantime PreventingAfghanistan becoming a sanctuary still a mission: Petraeus WASHINGTON: Preventing Af- ers,” he observed. ghanistan from becoming a terror- A sustained commitment, ist sanctuary still needed to be the he asserted , would reassures mission of the United States, a the Afghans. “Still put the former American general and com- pressure on them to make the mander of US forces in the coun- changes to get this pernicious try told lawmakers Wednesday. corruption out of some of the “The mission, I think is still really critical areas that they're very clear, it is to prevent Afghan- -- in which are causing such istan forever, once again, becom- problems,” he said. Ex-voting cards no more valid in upcoming election: Spokesman ing a sanctuary for transnational “Then also to have rules extremists the way it was when Al of engagement that allow our By Farhad Naibkhel Qaida had the bases there under forces to support our Afghan the Taliban rule in which the 9-11 partners who are fighting and KABUL: Post-election crisis electoral commissions to exert ut- attacks were planned and where dying for their country in a has been surfaced as the Of- most efforts to run parliamentary the initial training of the attackers mission that's important for us fice of the Chief Executive on election free and fair. was conducted,” Gen (rtd) David to be there. But when we Thursday invalided voting Pointing to those electoral bod- Petraeus, the former commander pulled our forces back from the cards issued in the last presi- ies’ commissioners who were in- of US and NATO troops in Af- front lines, we also pulled our dential election. volved in fraud in presidential elec- ghanistan, said. air cover,” Petraeus said. Briefing newsmen here in tion, Rahimi said “those people “The only way that you can “I think there's probably Kabul, Mujib Rahimi, the who alleged or involved with accomplish that mission, without still more of that needs to be spokesman from Chief Exec- frauds, should not be granted im- us doing it ourselves, is obviously done. And keeping in mind that utive Officer (CEO), said that punity.” to enable the Afghans to, over time, it was under the Taliban that voting cards distributed and Impunity culture in the coun- secure themselves and to govern Al Qaida had those bases used in presidential election in try has raised many eyebrows as themselves to a good enough fash- where the 9-11 attacks were 2014 is not valid any more for it bring under question the writ of ion,” Petraeus said in response to planned,” he said. (Pajhwok) the CEO. the government in judicial bodies. a question at the House Armed He said that CEO believes Recently, the New Line Orga- Services Committee. Search that the ex-voting cards are nization (NLO) as an observer of “We're not trying to turn Af- more than the number of eligi- the election process criticized the ghanistan into Switzerland in ten mounted for ble voters, thus the electoral failure of electoral bodies and new- years or less or something like that, 2 doctors bodies must seek another way ly assigned commissioners in the Afghan good enough, was often to get out of this problem. past two months. NLO said that the phrase. We sometimes exceed- kidnapped in “Distribution of extra the commissions did not operate ed that, but I think we have learned voting cards were the main fac- as expectation of people. that is the approach,” he said. Badghis tor behind broader fraud in Hinting to the issue of 20 mil- Sharing lawmakers concerns KABUL: Two doctors have 2014 presidential election,” he lion voting cards, NLO said that if about troop caps and time phased been kidnapped by suspect- added. the previous voting cards were not force draw downs, Petraeus called ed militants in northwestern Based on report only 10 announced invalid, challenges for re- examination of these caps, Badghis province, authorities million people are eligible to would be further take root in the of the effects that they have on said on Thursday. Working for vote in the country, but around upcoming election. units. the Public Health Depart- 20 million voting card has been “As you know, if a command- ment, the doctors were kid- distributed. Issuance of addi- er is given only a certain number napped on their way to a clin- tional voting cards was one of of forces, he's going to fill that num- ic in Qadis district, a state the main factor behind elector- Route survey for TAPI pipeline to begin this month ber, with those who can do what from the provincial govern- al challenge, which made the only those in uniform can do, ment’s media office said. A presidential election scandal PESHAWAR: A route survey and The German firm ILF has been 14 to begin work on the route sur- Pakistan before proceeding to Af- which is to go outside the wire and search operation has been and these crisis lead to estab- detailed engineering and feasibili- granted the project management vey, engineering and feasibility ghanistan. Inter State Gas Systems help partners engage with the pop- mounted for the doctors’ re- lishment of National Unity ty studies for the Turkmenistan- consultant (PMC) contract by the study to implement the project,” Managing Director Mobin Saulat ulation and occasionally, in this covery, according to the state- Government brokered by the Afghanistan-Pakistan-India TAPI Company, which will oper- a government official was quoted told the newspaper that pipeline case, engage with the enemy be- ment, which blamed the Tali- US. (TAPI) gas pipeline will begin in ate the long-awaited pipeline. as saying. construction and gas-field devel- cause we're now much more en- ban for the kidnapping. But The CEO spokesman stat- Pakistan this month, a news re- “A team from Turkmenistan The Express Tribune report- opment was ongoing at a fast clip ablers than we are front line fight- the militants have not yet ed that executive office urged port said on Thursday. will reach Islamabad on February ed the team would initiate work in in Turkmenistan. (Pajhwok) commented. (Pajhwok) FRIDAY .FEBRUARY 03, 2017 AFGHANISTANTIMES AFGHANISTAN TIMES Editor: Mansoor Faizy Phone No: +93-797070563 E-mail: [email protected] By Andrew Mitrovica Facts are fast becoming an endan- Service's Twitter account when it unfold in the US, I was reminded to 2100. Email: [email protected] gered species. posted two photographs - one of of the ultimately futile, destruc- But scientists are, by and large, As anyone with functioning Obama's densely populated inau- tive actions of a slightly more pol- a bright, inventive and indepen- www.afghanistantimes.af synapses knows, facts and, more guration adjacent to Trump's rela- ished, but equally paranoid leader dent-minded lot, not prone to sa- particularly, the literate people that tively vacant one. of another western democracy who luting when politicians bark orders Photojournalist: M. Sadiq Yusufi produce them, are considered pub- In reply to Trump's diktat, a shared Trump's preference for al- like drill sergeants. lic enemy No 1 by an illiterate pres- brave, subversive soul posted a ternative facts over the objective One by one, Canadian scien- Advisory editorial board ident who watches TV obsessive- series of tweets on the Service's truth - former Canadian Prime tists stepped out of anonymity ly and boasts of not reading books, account which pointed out, in ef- Minister Stephen Harper. into the unwelcomed spotlight to Saduddin Shpoon, Dr. Sharif Fayez, Dr. Sultana Parvanta, Dr. Sharifa Sharif, including, presumably, the turgid, fect, that the Earth is well on the Like Trump, Harper was crip- tell the truth about what was hap- self-aggrandising tomes he paid way to committing climate suicide. pled by insecurity and an irratio- pening to them and the fate of their Dr. Omar Zakhilwal, Setara Delawari, Ahmad Takal others to pen for him. The tweets were, no doubt, nal conviction that beyond a hand- work at the behest a politician who Donald Trump confirmed long crafted as a factual rebuke of the ful of loyal consiglieri, he was be- thought he could imprison their Graphic-Designers: ago that he prefers to inhabit an climate-change dodos now running sieged by his mortal, political ene- brains and muzzle their mouths. Edriss Akbari and Bilal Yusufi agreeable alternate universe where the US government. Alas, they mies - visible and invisible, bur- Harper miscalculated badly. Marketing & Advertising: Mohammad Parwiz Arian, 0708954626, 0778894038 Mailing address: P.O. Box: 371, Kabul, Afghanistan Our Bank Accounts: Azizi Bank: 000101100258091 / 000101200895656 Printed at Afghanistan Times Printing Press The constitution says Article 117 The President shall appoint one of its members as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Members of the Supreme Court, except under circumstances stated in Article One Hundred Twenty Seven of this Constitution, shall not be dismissed till the end of their term. Editorial Nothing burns like cold Vulnerable Afghans are struggling to cope with harsh winter. Heavy snowfall and freezing temperature in northern Afghani- stan claimed more than 40 lives so far. Winter is proved dead- ly for poor people, and especially for the Internal Displace "alternative facts" that defy logic, soon evaporated into the electron- rowed well inside the bureaucra- Eventually, government scientists, rationality and, in many cases, the ic ether. Still, the point was made, cy.