Date of Release: 13 September 2006
President Karzai Returns to Kabul after His Visit to the Province of Nangarhar
Arg, Kabul – H.E. Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, returned to Kabul this afternoon after his visit to the province Nangarhar.
President Karzai and Prime Minister Shuakat Aziz inaugurated the Torkham-Jalalabad highway and the start of the work on its second part in the city of Jalalabad this afternoon.
The inaugural ceremony was attended from Afghanistan side by H.E. Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, H.E. Suhrab Ali Safari, Minister of Public Works, Gul Agha Sherzai, Governor of Nangarhar province and a number of MPs and from the Pakistani side by Shuakat Aziz, Prime Minister, Muhammad Ali Durrani, Minister of Information, Shamim Seddiqi, Minister of Transportation.
Suhrab Ali Safari, Minister of Public Works, thanked Prime Minister Shuakat Aziz for his country’s assistance to the construction of the Torkham-Jalalabad highway and said “The Torkham-Jalalabad highway has been constructed with 74 km in length and 7m in width and with US$ 17 million in funding from the Government of Pakistan.”
Prime Minister Shuakat Aziz addressing the gathering said “Afghanistan and Pakistan have strong historical, cultural and religious ties, and stability and reconstruction in Afghanistan is in the interest of Pakistan.”
“Pakistan is not able to provide assistance to other countries, but we will play our role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan.”
The President thanked Prime Minister Shuakat Aziz for his country’s assistance to construction of the Torkham-Jalalabad highway and said “I am happy to meet you in the historic province of Nangarhar at a time when a major highway project has been completed and this highway is for the benefit of both countries. I am happy that Pakistan stresses the need for strengthening security and reconstruction in Afghanistan.”
“Progress in the reconstruction of Afghanistan will have a direct impact on the growth of our economy and improve the lives of people. Completion of the Torkham-Jalalabad highway will not only boost Afghanistan’s economy, but it will also increase trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan and create employments for the people of Pakistan.”
Speaking about terrorism the President said “The dismal phenomenon of terrorism doesn’t represent any ethnicity or nation and terrorists are those who inflict harm to people on both side of the border and we must unite to fight this menace and save our people.”
The President honored three Pakistani experts with awards.
For further information, please contact:
Office of the Spokesman to the President
Tel.: 00 93 799 33 77 55
00 93 799 909 429
Released by the Office of the Spokesman to the President
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
