Afghan lawmakers from central Ghazni province on Thursday said that the government of Afghanistan has lost multiple opportunities and chances to rehabilitate the province ahead of the worldwide attention it will receive in 2013.
Ghazni MP Mohammad Ali Akhlaqi said at a cultural and social workshop launched by the Ustan Ghulam Jailani Jalali Foundation in Kabul that the government failed to prepare the province to be the Islamic civilization capital for 2013, as selected by UNESCO.
"Unfortunately, since 2007 the government has failed to prepare Ghazni as the capital of Islamic Civilization for the year 2013. What was expected is not done and government is losing time and chances," Akhlaqi said.
Meanwhile, United Nations representative in Kabul Talaat Baig urged the Afghan government and international community to fully cooperate in rehabilitation of the city.
"The ethnic makeup is another advantage of Ghazni, with a population of various ethnicities. We and can call it mini Afghanistan. The United Nations will try to do its best to help coordinate the development of the city,"
Security, poor economy, and a lack of education and modernisation are the main challenges ahead of the rehabilitation of Ghazni province.