Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Thursday, March 28th, 2024

Do not Allow Militants to Disconnect Afghan People

Over the last ten years after the fall of Taliban regime, progresses have been made in different areas. Communication is one of the areas that have seen progress. The growth of mobile phone companies has helped make life easy for Afghan people. They are now connected with each other across the country and with their families, relatives and friends abroad.

Afghan people may still want to see further progress in communication and information technology. The World Bank on its website compares Afghanistan in 2002 and Afghanistan in early 2011 and provides the following data and information: "In 2002, there were fewer than 60,000 telephones in operation across the country. By early 2011, the number of mobile telephone subscriptions had risen to an estimated 14 million and about 80 percent of the population is today covered by the network."

But security continues to remain a daunting obstacle to this sector as to many other sectors such as education, health, media and reconstruction and development. On Wednesday, May 25, 2011, officials were reported to have said that Taliban insurgents torched three towers of private mobile phone companies in Northern Province of Jawzjan and central province of Logar. The towers burnt in Mohammad Agha district of Logar are said to belong to Roshan and Afghan Wireless Communication Company (AWCC).

Separately, the insurgents torched another Roshan booster in Darz Ab district of Jawzjan. A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, has claimed responsibility for the assault, saying officials of the company had flouted their order to switch off the booster at night. Before this, Afghan people have been time and again deprived of phone connection during the nights in other provinces such as Helmand and Ghazni provinces.

They are now accustomed to using modern ways of communication and disruption in this process just for one night makes life difficult for them. So it is important that first the government and international forces make sure that the mobile phone towers are protected and that the Taliban militants and other insurgent groups do not force the companies to switch off their boosters at night. The people of Afghanistan should also make sure that they do not allow Taliban militants and other insurgent fringes to disrupt their lives.