The Afghan Industrial Union (AIU) on Monday criticized the presidential candidates' offices for printing promotional materials abroad, particularly in Peshawar, Pakistan.
The Head of AIU, Sakhi Ahmad Paiman, said that the Afghan presidential candidates are mostly printing their promotional materials in Pakistan, even though the local printing industry is now self-sufficient.
"With the beginning of campaigns, most of the electoral promotional materials are printed in Peshawar. This clearly hurts the printing industry and transfers cash out of the country," said Paiman.
Mr. Paiman urged all presidential and provincial council candidates to print their promotional materials inside the country, keeping to their promise of making the country self-sufficient.
Around 130 small and large printing agencies are active in Kabul. However, the demand for these agencies is not nearly as high as that of Peshawar's.