KHOST - Tribal elders and civil society activists said yesterday that lawmakers representing Khost province in parliament have failed to come up to the expectations of their electorate.

The criticism was echoed at a gathering attended by a large number of people, including civil society representatives, tribal elders, youth and the Provincial Council members.

Civil society activist Amir Shah Kargar said Members of Parliament from Khost had been unable to resolve problems facing residents of the province, the lawmakers were yet to raise the issue of incomplete work on the Khost-Gardez highway.

He accused the parliamentarians of creating differences among youth and dividing them into groups and parties.

An elder from Mangal tribe, Gul Marjan Mangal, accused the central Government of delaying and allocating insufficient budget to the province, an issue yet to be addressed by the lawmakers. He also claimed their representatives had problems with the provincial administration with regard to the distribution of residential plots.

Ulema council head Maulvi Shah Mohammad urged lawmakers, civil society activists and provincial administration to work jointly for the province’s development.

Kamal Nassir Osuli, a lawmaker from Khost in Wolesi Jirga, accused Governor Abdul Jabar Naeemi of creating divisions among tribes on political issues.

Stressing the need for more work to develop the province, he said their differences with the Provincial Council had nothing to do with personal interests.

Source: Paktya Ghag Radio