KABUL - A number of Wolesi Jirga members on Sunday criticized Iran President Hassan Rouhani’s recent remarks about dams’ construction in Afghanistan, saying Tehran should refrain from interfering in Afghanistan’s internal issues.
President Rouhani has voiced concern at the Afghan government’s plans to build more dams on the country’s rivers in a bid to them for agriculture development and electricity production.
Rouhani, during an international conference last week in Tehran, the capital of Iran, said: “Dams’ construction in Afghanistan and Sistan-Baluchestan Province (in Iran) play a role in the desiccation of rivers.” Rouhani further added that “people will be forced to leave their homes; civilizations will be destroyed.”
Najeeba Hussaini, a Meshrano Jirga or upper house member told Sunday’s session that construction of power dams was Afghanistan’s internal topic and Iran should pay for using Afghanistan’s water over the past few decades.”
Nisar Haris, another senator, said the Afghan government should take the issue seriously and approach it through legal ways.
Gulalai Akabari, a legislator from Badakhshan province, said neighboring provinces had waged a war in Afghanistan for their own interests, but the Afghan people should continue developing their country with their hard work.
According to her, recent stances of the neighboring countries, particularly of Iran, proved their enmity with Afghanistan people.
“The current war in which the people of Afghanistan are dying is only for water and mineral resources of Afghanistan,” she said, adding the neighboring countries did not want Afghanistan become self-sufficient.”
Mohammad Asif Sidiqi, 2nd deputy chairman of Meshrano Jirga, who chaired the session, said: “The ongoing war in Afghanistan is for water and minerals and for achieving them, neighboring countries finance terrorist groups every day to fuel fighting in Afghanistan, so the countries can easily reach their goals.”
He termed recent Taliban attack on Salma Dam guards in Herat province as their overt opposition to Afghanistan’s national interests, saying: “I feel pity for Afghan Taliban and for whatever they are fighting is actually implementation of neighboring and regional countries’ projects in Afghanistan.”
In the current situation, the Afghan government needed a strong policy for controlling and managing its water resources, he concluded. (Pajhwok)