Afghanistan Review Week 26 29 June 2011 Comprehensive Information on Complex Crises
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CIVIL - MILITARY FUSION CEN TRE Afghanistan Review Week 26 29 June 2011 Comprehensive Information on Complex Crises INSIDE THIS ISSUE This document provides a weekly overview of developments in Afghanistan from 22 June—28 June 2011, with hyper-links to source material highlighted in blue and underlined in the text. For more information Economic Development on the topics below or other issues pertaining to events in Afghanistan, feel free to contact the members of Governance & Rule of Law the Afghanistan Team, or visit our website at www.cimicweb.org. Humanitarian Affairs Infrastructure Security & Force Protection Economic Development Steven A. Zyck ► [email protected] Socio-Cultural Development he governor of Afghanistan‟s Central organisations, non-governmental organisations Bank, Abdul Qadir Fitrat, fled Kabul and contractors, will find themselves out of ABOUT THE CFC Monday and re-located to the United work. The article notes that the process of T States, where he issued his resignation letter, withdrawing aid to Afghanistan has already The Civil-Military Fusion Centre reports the BBC and several other media out- begun, with the United States Agency for In- (CFC) is an Information and lets. Fitrat told Radio Free Europe/Radio Lib- ternational Development (USAID) spending Knowledge Management erty that he had resigned, given the Afghan USD 2.5 billion in Afghanistan in 2011, down organisation focused on government‟s unwillingness to prosecute those from USD 4.2 billion in 2010. improving civil-military interaction, known to be responsible for pilfering hundreds facilitating information sharing and of millions of dollars from Kabul Bank, the While providing less assistance to Afghanistan enhancing situational awareness country‟s scandal-afflicted financial institu- overall, USAID has announced that it will through the CimicWeb portal. tion. Fitrat said that he fled Afghanistan be- attempt to channel more of its assistance cause his life had been threatened for having through Afghan government institutions. A CFC products are developed with pushed strongly for the prosecution of those press release from USAID indicates that the open-source information from a politically-connected individuals deemed re- aid agency will be providing more than USD wide variety of organisations and sponsible for the Kabul Bank crisis. Afghan 90 million in direct, on-budget assistance to Afghan government ministries. The announce- media sources. President Hamid Karzai‟s spokesperson said that Fitrat‟s flight from the country was an act ment comes at a time when the Afghan gov- By design, CFC products or links to of “treason to the Afghan people” and sug- ernment is facing a potential cash shortage due largely to problematic relations with the Inter- independently produced articles do gested that he left Afghanistan in order to national Monetary Fund (IMF) (See the 21 not necessarily represent the avoid being prosecuted for complicity in the scandal at Kabul Bank. The day after the Cen- June CFC Weekly Afghanistan Review, Eco- opinions, views or official position nomic Development section) of any other organisation. tral Bank governor fled the country, Afghani- stan‟s Attorney General issued an arrest war- Finally, Pakistan's Federal Board of Revenue The CFC will become part of rant for Fitrat on charges that he was crimi- (FBR) has asked Pakistani customs officials to NATO Allied Command Operations nally negligent in failing to prevent the near- conduct a weekly records check and audit of 01 July 2011. collapse of Kabul Bank, says The Guardian. goods entering the country under the Afghani- The New York Times cites foreign officials in stan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement Afghanistan who describe accusations against (APTTA), which took effect on 12 June 2011, Fitrat as “politically motivated”. reports The News, a Pakistani newspaper. The upcoming withdrawal of a portion of in- Pakistani customs officials are under great ternational forces exacerbated concerns that pressure to combat smuggling, a fact which may have implications for imports into Af- aid levels to Afghanistan would soon decline CONTACT THE CFC ghanistan. Case in point, Tolo News reports sharply, according to a number of sources. For further information, contact: Reuters, for instance, reported that the United that Pakistani officials are preventing 60 Af- States was attempting to “wean Afghanistan ghanistan-bound trucks from passing through Afghanistan Team Manager the border crossing at Torkham. The Afghani- Erin Foster off foreign aid” slowly rather than sharply cutting development assistance in or shortly stan Chamber of Commerce and Industries [email protected] (ACCI) indicates that Pakistani authorities are after 2014. The New York Times reports that “thousands” of Afghans employed by US gov- demanding forms of documentation and tax The Afghanistan Team ernment agencies and other international enti- guarantees which are not required under the [email protected] ties, including donor agencies, international APTTA. Governance & Rule of Law Amber Ramsey ► [email protected] fter months of deliberation and a full vote recount, As the elections controversy has grown, MPs have sought the Afghanistan‟s Special Elections Court issued a verdict intervention of the United Nations in a letter addressed to the A last Thursday that would see 62 Members of Parlia- Secretary-General, reports AFP. UN Special Representative of ment (MPs) unseated for their alleged participation in wide- the Secretary General for Afghanistan, Staffan de Mistura, spread fraud that plagued last year‟s parliamentary elections. responded by saying that these issues must be resolved “in According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), the accordance with the [Afghan] Constitution”, while urging par- five-member tribunal found evidence of fraud in 33 out of the liamentarians to “act responsibly” as to not provoke unrest in country‟s 34 provinces. However, members of the Wolesi the country. De Mistura also met with representatives of losing Jirga (Lower House of Parliament) have sought to dissolve the electoral candidates who are now seeking the court‟s decision court since its creation in December 2010, calling it unconsti- to be implemented. Following the meeting, de Mistura con- tutional. Afghanistan‟s Independent Election Commission cluded, “[i]n this critical moment for Afghanistan‟s democratic (IEC) responded to the verdict by saying, “making changes in governance, it is essential that Afghans themselves reach a the election results ... and particularly after the inauguration of political solution to this institutional impasse underpinned by parliament is in no-one‟s authority and is against the country‟s the Constitution and democratic principles and move forward”. laws”, as reported by Agence France-Presse (AFP). The Spe- Meanwhile, presidential spokesman Waheed Omar issued a cial Elections Court was established by statement on Monday declaring it in vio- the country‟s Supreme Court and ap- lation of national sovereignty to call on proved by President Hamid Karzai fol- international organisations to resolve in- lowing allegations of widespread fraud in “It is essential that Afghans them- ternal disputes, says Tolo News. the 18 September 2010 parliamentary elections. Yet, opponents of the special selves reach a political solution to In other news, BBC News reports that the growing emphasis on political and diplo- tribunal claim that it is being used by the this institutional impasse under- president as a tool to boost his support in matic efforts to end the war in Afghani- the 249-member lower house, says United pinned by the Constitution and de- stan has uncovered “explosive fault States National Public Radio. lines”. Though many consider the recent mocratic principles”. breakthroughs with regard to direct talks In anticipation of the court‟s decision last between the US and the Taliban to be week, MPs summoned Attorney General Staffan de Mistura, “remarkable”, others, particularly Europe- Mohammad Ishaq Alako to appear before ans, warn that it is still too early to as- UN Special Representative the Wolesi Jirga as per Article 92 of the sume that these talks are a credible and Afghan Constitution. Additionally, the confirmed means of dialogue. Reconcilia- Supreme Court Chief Justice and two tion with the Taliban has been heavily other Supreme Court justices, all of whose terms of office have emphasised by President Karzai, who in the past has pushed a expired, were summoned, writes Pajhwok Afghan News. How- plan to bring disenfranchised Afghans back into the political ever, a later Pajhwok article indicated that the officials failed fold. However, in recent statements Karzai has veered away to appear before the Wolesi Jirga, responding to the summons from discussing his government‟s involvement in peace talks, with a letter declaring that MPs didn‟t have the authority, ac- says BBC News. Among the growing concerns being voiced by cording to AFP. In their absence the lower house passed a vote critics of Afghanistan‟s reconciliation plan are the increasing of no confidence against all four individuals. On Tuesday, 28 number of younger, more extreme Taliban commanders who June, Pajhwok reported that MPs had set a four-day deadline owe little allegiance to the traditional leadership structure. for Alako to resign from his position as Attorney General and Moreover, recent tensions within Afghanistan from opposition called on the government to support them in implementing the groups, mainly non-Pashtun northerners strongly opposed to no confidence votes. While discussing the recent events, AFP reconciliation with the Taliban, leave many worried that ethnic noted that as a result “deep public splits have again surfaced in divisions could be revived (see 11 May CFC Afghanistan Re- Afghanistan‟s political system”. Similarly, RFE/RL writes that view, Governance section). Therefore, with more emphasis “[t]he court‟s decision has intensified an ongoing political cri- being placed on a political settlement to the war in Afghani- sis”, with many of the unseated parliamentarians threatening to stan, as stated by BBC News, “if negotiation is about confi- stage protests.