Afghanistan 's newly elected members of parliament attend an orientation course ahead of the first sitting of the parliamant scheduled in Kabul.(AFP/Farzana Wahidy)

Police killed in Taleban assault – BBC

Seven police officers and five Taleban fighters have been killed during an assault on government offices in southern Afghanistan. Police said militants armed with machine guns and rockets attacked district offices in Helmand province.

Helmand has seen a major escalation in violence this year. Britain is to send troops there in the New Year as part of a Nato expansion. Militant-linked violence in Afghanistan has killed more than 1,400 this year.

The BBC's Andrew North in Kabul says the attack in Garmser district appeared to be a well-coordinated one on a small and largely untrained police force in one of the most lawless parts of the country. He says there are mounting fears from many quarters that the four-year-old Taleban-led insurgency is getting worse.

Police chief Haji Bahadur Khan said at least six other officers were wounded in three hours of fighting at the offices. Some other militants may have been wounded, but managed to escape after the fighting, Mr Khan said.

He said the administrative buildings and four police vehicles were damaged in the early morning assault. A spokesman for the Taleban movement, Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, told the AFP news agency that 90 of its fighters had carried out the attack.

Our correspondent says Helmand is one of the most challenging areas for the government of President Hamid Karzai and the international security forces. In October, 18 police were killed after a Taleban ambush on their convoy.

In July, Taleban fighters killed four policemen in another ambush and captured another six, who they beheaded. Britain has about 100 troops and civilian advisers in Helmand preparing for the arrival of several thousand soldiers next year.

One of their chief objectives will be to try to find ways of tackling the drugs trade there - Afghanistan's No 1 opium-producing region - amid reports that militants and drug traffickers work closely together.

President Karzai Appoints 34 Senators - Date of Release: 10 December 2005

Presidential Palace, Kabul  H.E. Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic
Republic of Afghanistan, through a Presidential Decree based on chapter 2
article 84 of the constitution of Afghanistan and Article 23 of the
election law has appointed 17 women and 17 men to the Upper House of the
Parliament:

1.    Hazrat Sebqatullah Mojaddedi
2.    Marshall Mohammad Qasim Faheem
3.    Sayed Hamid Guilani
4.    Abdul Baqi Barialai
5.    Haji Mohammad Hisa Khan Shinwari
6.    Maulawi Arsala Rahmani
7.    Mullah Sher Mohammad Akhundzada
8.    Haji Mohammad Hassan Hotak
9.    Haji Nazar Mohammad
10.   Professor Abdullah Haqqani
11.   Professor Abdul Saboor Farid
12.   Qurban Ali Arfani
13.   Haji Sulaiman Yari
14.   Ahmad Shah Ramazan
15.   Abdul Kabir Marzban
16.   Haji Tordia Khan
17.   Gangaram

18.   Bibi Haji Nafeesa Sultani
19.   Qamar Khosti
20.   Belques Kuchi
21.   Muslima Husseini
22.   Tayeba Zahidi
23.   Mahbooba Hoquqmal
24.   Homaira Naimati
25.   Rida Azimi
26.   Najiba Hosseini
27.   Sahra Surkhabi
28.   Aliya Qazizada Qardash
29.   Sediqa Balkhi
30.   Khadija Hosseini
31.   Kobra Aman
32.   Roshan Ara Alokozai
33.   Suhaila Sharifi
34.   Najiba Rokhshani Zahrozahi

The President wishes the appointed Senators success in the accomplishment
of their responsibilities at the service of the people of Afghanistan.
Released by Office of the Spokesman to the President
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

Karzai Makes Parliamentary Appointments AMIR SHAH, Associated Press Dec 9

KABUL, Afghanistan - President Hamid Karzai has made his appointments to the upper house of Afghanistan's parliament, set to convene this month for the first time in over 30 years, officials said Friday.

Karzai also welcomed NATO's decision to send 6,000 extra troops into the volatile south of Afghanistan, saying it showed the world was still paying attention to the country.

The president's appointees to parliament come from various Afghan factions and include a former Taliban official and an ethnic Tajik former defense minister — indicating Karzai wants to create a balance among rival groups as Afghanistan embraces democracy after decades of war.

The president appoints one-third of the 102-seat upper house, and the rest are elected by provincial councils. Afghans voted for a lower house in September. Parliament is due to open Dec. 19 — the final step on Afghanistan's internationally backed political transition after the 2001 ouster of the Taliban.

A government official said Karzai's appointees include Mohammed Fahim, an ethnic Tajik and a prominent figure in the Northern Alliance that helped the United States drive the Taliban from power. Karzai fired Fahim as defense minister a year ago.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the names of the appointees have yet to be announced.

Human rights groups have accused Fahim of abuses during the quarter-century of violence that started with the Soviet invasion of 1979 and included deadly fighting among rival warlords in the early 1990s and the subsequent Taliban takeover.

Another appointee is Arsala Rahmani, a former Taliban deputy minister for higher education, the official said. Others include the governors of Uruzgan and Helmand, two southern provinces still plagued by Taliban rebel violence, and Sulaiman Yari, a Shia Muslim from the ethnic Hazara community who is loyal to Karzai.

Karzai is a member of Afghanistan's largest ethnic group, the mostly Sunni Muslim Pashtuns. Karzai said Thursday he was appointing a broad range of people including intellectuals, tribal leaders and a representative of the small Hindu community.

The joint Afghan-U.N. election board has certified Karzai's appointees, the board said in a news release. It said Karzai's office would announce the names.

Another government official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said Karzai had submitted his list of appointees to the joint Afghan-U.N. election board for certification.

Karzai expressed thanks to NATO after the military alliance announced the plans to expand its operations in Afghanistan. The deployment next year of 6,000 mostly European and Canadian troops will free up U.S. forces for counterinsurgency operations and likely lead to a reduction in U.S. troop numbers in Afghanistan.

"The new measure of NATO, the new soldiers for the security of Afghanistan, are appreciated. It shows the world's attention to Afghanistan," he told a news conference. "Afghanistan still does not have the ability to provide completely for the security of the country."

NATO peacekeepers currently operate in the relatively stable north and west of Afghanistan. With the deployment in the south, it will have as many as 18,000 troops in the country.

Afghan parliamentarians begin orientation program

KABUL, Dec. 10 (Xinhuanet) -- The newly elected delegates to Afghanistan's first parliament in three decades started a weeklong orientation program here Saturday, a press release of Provisional Secretariat of the National Assembly said.

"The 351 members of Afghanistan's new National Assembly arrived in Kabul today began a weeklong orientation program culminating in their inauguration on Dec. 19," the press release added.

During the program, the press release said that members of both the Wolesi Jirga (Lower House) and Mushrano Jirga (Upper House) of parliament would familiarize with the procedures and facilities of the National Assembly.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is financing the program. Over 6.8 million out of 12.5 million Afghans eligible to vote balloted on Sept. 18 their representatives for a 249-seat Wolesi Jirga and provincial council. Enditem

EU recommends improvements in Afghanistan's future elections

KABUL, Dec. 10 (Xinhuanet) -- Chief observer of the European Union Election Observation Mission (EUEOM) on Saturday recommended improvements in Afghanistan's future elections.

"Overall, given their complexity and operational challenges, the elections are an accomplishment, although there are notable shortcomings to be addressed for future," Emma Bonino told journalists while releasing the final report on the Afghan parliamentary elections held in September.

The report recommends that the choice of voting system should be reviewed, the Independent Election Commission (IEC) should be made permanent and the Electoral Complaint Commission (ECC) should be strengthened.

It also recommends that voter lists should be introduced at the polling station level, candidates should be provided with better access to the mass media, and efforts should be made to improve the participation of women in the electoral process.

"Democracy is about more than just elections, important as they are. Democracy is also about society and civil culture," stressed Bonino, who headed 150 European observers during the legislative polls.

Some 6.8 million out of 12.5 million Afghans eligible to vote cast their votes on Sept. 18 to elect their representatives for the 249-seat Wolesi Jirga or Lower House of parliament and 420 members of provincial councils.

The historic elections, which held peacefully, have been marred by fraud allegations as thousands of candidates termed it asham polls and refused to accept its final certified results. The maiden session of the first Afghanistan's parliament in over three decades is going to be convened on Dec. 19. Enditem

EU Report on Afghanistan Shows Continuing Threats to Progress - Deutsche Welle 12/10/2005

Afghanistan's efforts to establish democracy are threatened by widespread corruption, the cultivation of opium and insecurity, including the presence of illegal armies, the European Union said Saturday.

The 2004 adoption of a constitution and recent elections, including those for the first parliament in 30 years due to sit this month, were important steps in democratization, it said in a report.

"However they should not be viewed as 'the end of the story'," said the report by the EU mission which observed the September 18 legislative elections. "Several risk factors threaten to undermine democratic development in Afghanistan," it said.

These included widespread corruption, pervasive illegal opium production and "continued lack of security and stability in parts of the country including continued presence of illegal armed groups," it said.

The three were strongly interlinked. "For example, the illegal opium economy funds illegal armed groups and feeds corruption," the report said.

Drugs, violence and a breeding ground for extremism

Afghanistan is estimated to produce more than 80 percent of the world's supply of opium, used to make heroin, despite efforts by the government. It is also plagued by regular attacks by Islamic militants, notably those linked to the extremist Taliban government removed from power in a US-led invasion in late 2001. The violence has killed about 1,500 people this year.

And despite government disarmament programs, several former warlords still run private armies in remote areas which have yet to come under the control of the central government.

The sitting of the new parliament, due on December 19, will mark the end of an internationally planned transition to democracy that was adopted at a conference in Bonn, Germany after the Taliban were routed.

Bonn Process making its mark slowly

The EU report said the main achievements of the Bonn Process included the elections and laying down basic foundations for state structures.

However there were several weaknesses, such as limited international assistance on security, not enough time spent on reconciliation and the fact that civic education had focused largely on voting and not aspects of democracy-building such as national unity and the rule of law.

The report urged the government to include ways to build democracy in its development strategy, including a "Compact for Afghanistan" to be presented to a London conference next month to plan a "post-Bonn" process.

International involvement likely to remain

"Continued international engagement in support of security, economic and social development with focus on social cohesion in addition to local empowerment and public participation are important to underpin a solid democracy-building in Afghanistan," the report said.

A well-functioning democratic system was "a valuable safeguard against a return to Afghanistan's brutal recent past."

The mission said the September 18 elections for the lower house of parliament and provincial councils were an "accomplishment" although there were some shortcomings, including irregularities and fraud.

No more Canadian troops to Afghanistan – Pakistani Newspapers

KABUL, DEC 10 (SANA): The NDP Leader Jack Layton called for an immediate halt to sending more Canadian troops to Afghanistan, warning that Canada must not "drift into a war blindly."

"We appear to be drifting from our original mission there – which was to provide security in the capital region – and into a combat role side-by-side with American troops," Layton said in a statement.

Layton's announcement follows NATO's approval of a plan to send up to 6,000 troops into southern Afghanistan in a major expansion of their mission, according to CBS news report.

"We must not drift into a war blindly or secretly, on the say-so of one man – Mr. Martin."

"Canadians need to have a debate on whether they want Canadian service personnel to become deeply involved in an initiative that's pressed forward by (U.S. President) George Bush," said Layton at a campaign stop in St. John's, N.L.

As many as 1,250 Canadian soldiers will be serving in Afghanistan by February 2006. Troops are expected to take part in combat patrols in the mountainous country surrounding Kandahar. Defence Minister Bill Graham has been warning the public for months to expect casualties.

"We believe the prime minister owes Canadians an explanation of the goals of this mission, of the commitments we would be making and of what the withdrawal plan there would be and then there should be a discussion in Parliament," Layton said.

Dutch stall on Afghanistan – SMH 11 Dec. 2005

THE Netherlands has postponed a decision on sending extra troops to Afghanistan. "It is about an important issue - security. We must look at all aspects carefully," Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said.

Dutch concerns have mounted in recent weeks about plans to send an extra 1100 troops to the dangerous south of Afghanistan along with forces from Britain and Canada, allowing the US-led coalition to cut the size of its operation there. Some 600 Dutch troops are already serving in Afghanistan.

As NATO Forces Ease Role of G.I.'s in Afghanistan, the Taliban Steps Up Attacks - By CARLOTTA GALL

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan , Dec. 7 - Foreign soldiers in desert fatigues and helmets sealed off the main road of this southern city last Sunday to inspect the site where a suicide bomber, wrapped in a blanket, had thrown himself at a convoy of military jeeps, killing himself and an Afghan civilian.

To the Afghans watching, the soldiers looked the same as the United States troops that have been a constant presence in Kandahar since the departure of the Taliban four years ago. But these were from Canada, whose forces have quietly begun an important shift in the international military presence in Afghanistan.

Canadian troops will take over responsibility for the turbulent southern province of Kandahar in February; by spring, British troops also will have deployed in Kandahar and the other large province in southern Afghanistan, Helmand.

The Canadian and British forces will conduct military operations as well as run the civil affairs program created by provincial reconstruction teams. More than 1,000 Dutch troops are expected to join them in the south, possibly in Uruzgan Province.

[On Dec. 8, NATO foreign ministers met in Brussels and endorsed a plan for expanding the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, which operates under a peacekeeping mandate from the United Nations. The force's 10,000 troops, now operating in northern and western Afghanistan and in the capital, Kabul, will grow by 6,000 and move into southern Afghanistan.]

By June or July, the international force will take over from the United States-led Regional Command South, the military district headquartered at Kandahar air base and stretching over five provinces. The shift will allow some 4,000 of the 6,000 United States troops in the south to leave and reduce the overall American presence to about 14,000 troops. The international force will then become the main military force in Afghanistan with responsibility for three-quarters of the country.

The United States-led command will remain in charge of the provinces of eastern Afghanistan that border Pakistan's unruly North-West Frontier Province. But in 2007, the United States forces there will also move under the NATO flag, making the international force the country's sole military command.

These changes are under way even as some NATO countries have noted with concern the sharp rise in American military deaths in Afghanistan this year, and new, deadly tactics by insurgents. Those include suicide bombings and the downing of helicopters - two were shot down by enemy fire last weekend. Afghans also describe a larger presence of Taliban supporters in the villages than at any time since the Taliban government was ousted.

"It's a major undertaking under NATO," said Col. Steve Noonan, commander of the Canadian task force at Kandahar air base, as he prepared for the arrival of over 2,200 Canadian soldiers in the coming months. "ISAF has had success in the north and west, but there is a difference between the north and south."

Lt. Col. Riccardo Cristoni, chief spokesman for in the international force in Kabul, said that the mission would remain a peace support mission, but that the rules of engagement would have to be strengthened.

A NATO delegation that visited Afghanistan in September noted that counterinsurgency operations were still necessary in the south and so the international force would inevitably become involved.

Canadians troops have been hit at least twice by suicide bombers in Kandahar since they first arrived four months ago, although their armored jeeps have prevented serious casualties, and civilian bystanders have borne the brunt of the attacks.

Colonel Noonan said he expected trouble, especially during the transfer periods in February, June and July, when the Taliban and other insurgents would be expected to try to turn the departure of the Americans into propaganda gains and exploit any weakness of the newcomers.

"The U.S. Army is the most advanced military in the world, so whatever we put in, there will be a gap, both in technical capability, and size and capacity," he said.

The United States military will continue to run the airport at Kandahar, and the detention facility for suspected insurgents there. No other country is prepared to over take that responsibility, NATO military officials said.

Troops in the international force will bring their own focus to the mission. The Canadians say they will concentrate on training the Afghan National Police and the Afghan National Army.

"The perspective is to put an Afghan face on the operation," Colonel Noonan said. "The day of unilateral operations without intelligence is gone." Colonel Noonan said there would be fewer raids on villages without approval from the government, in keeping with demands from President Hamid Karzai .

Britain will have about 3,500 soldiers in the south, most of them in Helmand Province, the biggest opium producing province, where drug lords have joined with criminal gangs and insurgents in some spectacular attacks recently on Afghan police officers.

Afghans who hear of these approaching changes offer mixed reactions. Tribal leaders and newly elected legislators have asked with alarm if it is true that the Americans are leaving.

"At the moment I would not like them to leave" said Mullah Naquibullah, a leading tribal elders in Kandahar Province. "Until they train our Afghan soldiers and police in big numbers, they should not leave."

The governor of Kandahar, Asadullah Khalid, observed that "the British and Canadians will come in the place of the Americans, which is very important for us." But he added, "We are very concerned and afraid that the international community will go and forget us."

In Kabul, a Stark Gulf Between Wealthy Few and the Poor - By Griff Witte - Washington Post, December 9, 2005

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Displayed under fluorescent lights on a spotless marble floor, the imported refrigerators, dishwashers and ovens at the new Beko store draw a steady stream of gawkers in a city where nearly everything is coated with grime. But few Afghans can afford such luxury appliances -- or the electricity to run them.

"A lot of people come in and they really, really want to buy these kinds of products," said Baki Karasu, 41, who opened the store this fall. "But they don't have any power. If they have a big generator, they can buy. But if they don't, they have to wait for the government to provide the electricity."

Four years after the ouster of the Taliban, as another frigid winter begins, most residents of the Afghan capital are without power, except for five hours every second or third night. Although hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign aid have been spent to fix the problem, conditions have worsened in the past year as improvements have lagged and the population surges.
Government officials say things will not noticeably improve until at least 2008, when new power lines are to be completed.

The gulf between the wealthy few and the literally powerless majority is especially striking now, as pockets of opulence sprout across the impoverished capital of 4 million after a quarter-century of war that left much of the city in ruins. Downtown, there is a glittering new shopping mall as well as a five-star hotel where regular rooms go for $250 a night and the Presidential Suite fetches $1,200.

There is also Sherpur, a central neighborhood that once contained an army barracks surrounded by poor squatters' huts. Two years ago, it was taken over by government officials. The huts were razed and the land parceled out to people with money and connections. Now, dozens of mansions are being built there.

Unlike typical Afghan homes, which have muted colors, simple materials and shrouded windows, the new houses seem designed to attract attention with vivid tiles, elaborate balconies and ornate columns. A 10-foot-high eagle statue perches on one roof, wings outstretched.

Such displays have elicited both admiration and resentment from ordinary Afghans, many of whom believe they have been financed through ill-gotten means, including the lucrative opium poppy trade, misuse of aid funds and schemes controlled by former militia leaders who still wield power in many regions.

"These homes make the city look beautiful, but the people here got their money not from the legal way," observed Zarifullah Hayatullah, 18, a student who was riding his bike past a row of mansions one recent day. "All the well-off people can live here -- especially the commanders who got their money through drugs."

Across the city, in a dilapidated district called Daimazang, live those on the dark side of Afghanistan's economic fortunes. Although the country's gross domestic product has doubled since 2001, roughly 30 percent of the population is unemployed, and 37 percent need donated food to survive, according to statistics compiled by the Brookings Institution in Washington.
In Daimazang, 65 families have taken up makeshift residence in the carcasses of former government office buildings that were destroyed by rocket attacks in the civil war of the 1990s. Most were refugees in Pakistan and Iran who returned home after 2001, lured by promises of jobs and land that never materialized.

Each family has partitioned off a 10-foot-square space with mud-brick walls on all sides. Several have strung plastic tarps for protection from the rain and snow, but many have nothing to separate themselves from the sky. There is no electricity and no firewood, either; the price of wood has doubled to about $1 for 12 pounds, far more than they can pay.

"We just have a blanket," said Hazrat Gul, 45, who makes $4 a day breaking stones for construction in the mountains that surround Kabul. "During the night, we get under the blanket and we try to sleep."

Mohammed Agha, a father of five who works as a bicycle mechanic, said he was afraid not everyone in the community would survive the winter. In the past few months, two children have died. "All of the children are suffering. They are all coughing from pneumonia," said Agha, his own voice hoarse with the disease.

None of the residents interviewed said they had been to the new mall or hotel downtown, but Qurban, a 56-year-old cabdriver who uses only one name, said he had seen them many times from the outside.

"I tried to go in, but they wouldn't allow me," Qurban said, pointing to his tattered sweater and dusty jacket. "These buildings are not for poor people like me. These buildings are for the rich people and the ministers. It's for them. It's not for us."

The Daimazang residents said officials had come several times and told them they must leave because the government wants to rebuild the old offices, which belonged to the Ministry of Energy. Gulla Jan Hairan, the ministry's director of planning, said rehabilitating damaged and destroyed facilities has been a top priority over the past four years. When the Taliban abandoned Afghanistan in 2001, he said, most of the cities were "almost completely dark" after years of war and neglect.

Since then, Hairan said, there has been major progress in cities such as Herat, Mazar-e Sharif and Kunduz, which forged agreements with neighboring Iran, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to import energy. But he conceded that Kabul has been a much tougher challenge.

The Hindu Kush mountain range that rises north of Kabul cuts off the capital from energy-rich neighbors to the north and west. Rivers flow down vigorously from those mountains in the spring, but they tend to dry up in the late summer and fall, leaving a current too weak to effectively generate hydroelectric power for the winter.

Over the past year, Hairan said, the relative supply of electricity for homes in Kabul has gone down because, despite the rehabilitation of several power plants, the infrastructure still cannot keep up with the massive influx of new residents.

"If we do not increase the generating capacity and we continue to connect more homes and buildings, it's certain that the conditions will get worse next year," he said.

Energy experts here said the situation would not improve until October 2008, when power lines from Uzbekistan, now being laid across the snow-capped Hindu Kush, are expected to be completed.

One short-term solution would be to set up a network of diesel-powered generators. But Hairan said the high cost of fuel makes that idea impractical and foreign donors, who have already committed nearly a billion dollars toward improving the public power supply, seem reluctant to provide even more.

Diesel generators are exactly what keep the lights on in the new Kabul City Centre Mall, the luxury Serena Hotel and the mansions of Sherpur. A one-kilowatt generator costs at least $80, and diesel fuel costs about $4 per gallon. Inside Kabul City Centre, power runs 24 hours a day, keeping the escalators running, the coffee brewing and the temperature comfortable.

One recent day, several mall-goers said they were there only to escape the near-freezing weather outside. Wahid Afshar, 25, jobless since he returned from Iran this year, said he was visiting the mall just to pass the time and dream.

"It's chic and modern and beautiful," he said. "But I can't afford to buy anything."

Fuel Prices Rise In Afghanistan As Winter Sets In - Asia Pulse 12/09/2005

KABUL - The chill in the weather has led to 5 per cent increase in the price of firewood and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), although diesel rates have fallen in Kabul.

Hussain Ali, a wood dealer in the Serai Ghazni Market, said on Thursday that the price of per 280kg firewood had increased from 3,800 to 4,000 afghanis
(US$88.90-US$93.50) during the week. Ghulam Rabbani, a shopkeeper in the Asamai LPG market, said the price of one kilogram of gas had jumped from 48 to 50 afghanis.

Ali Raza, a resident, said gas prices have registered several increases in less than two months. "We used to buy one kilogram of LPG for 30 afghanis, but now we have to pay 50 afghanis for the same quantity."

In contrast, diesel prices have decreased during the week. The price of one litre of diesel has decreased from 37 to 36 afghanis. Basic food and gold remained unchanged.

Abdur Rahman, a merchant in the Asamai Market said prices will hold if roads leading to Kabul remain opened during the winter.

In the currency market, the value of afghani decreased against dollar and the Pakistani rupee. According to a fresh report, the price of one US dollar stood at 49.90 afghanis this week as against 49.80 last week. (Pajhwok Afghan News)

Pakistan to construct kidney treatment center in Afghanistan - I slamabad, Dec 10, IRNA

Pakistan will construct a kidney treatment center at the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, officials said on Saturday. The assistance is being provided under the Afghan rehabilitation and reconstruction grant of two hundred million dollars by Pakistan.

The project will be completed in eighteen months. Pakistani company will build the center and agreement was signed between the Planning Commission and the army's National Logistic Cell (NLC).

"Pakistan is keen for rapid rehabilitation and reconstruction of Afghanistan and for this purpose, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has increased grant for Afghan reconstruction from one hundred million to two hundred million dollars," Deputy Director General of Planning Commission Muhammad Akram Sheikh told the signing ceremony.

Under this program, Pakistan will complete various projects in communication, food, education, healthcare and training of police personnel of Afghanistan.

Akram Shaikh expressed the confidence that trust and understanding achieved by both the countries would help speed up reconstruction work in Afghanistan and this cooperation would be further increased in time to come.

He said that work on Torkhum-Jalalabad road is in progress and hopefully it will be completed by June next year which will provide excellent road connection between the two countries.

In his remarks the Afghan Consul General in Pakistan Muhammad Samim Humraz expressed gratitude to the Government of Pakistan for its continuous support and assistance and reconstruction of his country and bringing stability there.

He said Afghanistan is moving forward towards prosperity and peace adding that a peaceful, stable and strong Afghanistan will be beneficial not only for Pakistan but the whole region.

The agreement was signed by the Deputy Chief for Afghan Reconstruction of the Planning Commission Masud-ul-Hasan Qureshi and Commander Engineering NLC Brigadier Zulfiqar Hussain.

Winners of the Reporters Without Borders - Fondation de France Prize DEC 7 - A media outlet that exemplifies the battle for the right to inform the public and to be informed

The winner is Afghanistan’s main privately-owned TV station, Tolo TV. It was founded by an Afghan-Australian media group, Moby Capital Partners, and broadcasts very independent news programmes (and also music) that contrast with the dry style of the government TV station. Since Tolo’s October 2004 launch, the religious authorities have called its programmes “immoral and anti-Islamic” and are pressing very hard for the station to be banned. Despite these threats, Tolo TV continues and has just started the first talk-show for Afghan women, called “Bonu.”

By honouring a journalist, a media outlet, a defender of press freedom and a cyber-dissident, Reporters Without Borders and the Fondation de France are alerting people to the wide range of attacks on the right to inform the public and to be informed and to the need to actively support press freedom. Each prize is worth 2,500.

Since it was set up, the Reporters Without Borders - Fondation de France Prize has been awarded to: Zlatko Dizdarevic (Bosnia-Herzegovina - 1992), Wang Juntao (China - 1993), André Sibomana (Rwanda - 1994), Christina Anyanwu (Nigeria - 1995), Isik Yurtçu (Turkey - 1996), Raúl Rivero (Cuba - 1997), Nizar Nayyouf (Syria - 1998), San San Nweh (Burma - 1999), Carmen Gurruchaga (Spain - 2000), Reza Alijani (Iran - 2001), Grigory Pasko (Russia - 2002), Ali Lmrabet (Morocco - 2003) and Hafnaoui Ghoul (Algeria - 2004).

History made by UK Muslim model – BBC

A teenager who fled the Taleban regime has made history by being the first Muslim to represent England in the Miss World beauty contest in China. Hammasa Kohistani, 18, had been third favourite but Misses Iceland, Mexico and Puerto Rico were voted top three.

Islamic extremists had sent her death threats for taking part in the competition, watched by two billion. Miss Kohistani, who was born in Uzbekistan, fled Afghanistan with her parents in 1996. She went to the UK via Uzbekistan, Ukraine and Dubai.

She recalls seeking cover in her Kabul apartment block, as a child, when it came under attack from bombs and bullets. On arriving in Britain, Miss Kohistani's father Khushal set up a takeaway food business while her mother Layla worked as an interpreter.

Spotted on the London Underground at the age of 14, the A-level student speaks six languages and has modelled for Gap and Superdrug. She has also been offered a part in a Bollywood film.

Miss Kohistani said: "This is a real life fairy story that couldn't happen in any other country. "So many people from so many nations have been interested in my progress, because I am not what was expected."

Among those Miss Kohistani beat to the Miss England crown was another Muslim entrant, Sarah Mendly, 23, who was voted Miss Nottingham. Miss Mendly had been among the favourites but Liverpool's Islamic institute called on her to pull out because contestants are often scantily clad.

A total of 102 contestants are in the Miss World final - now in its 55th year - including Miss Wales Claire Evans, 22, and 23-year-old Miss Scotland Aisling Friel. Nigeria hosted Miss World three years ago and around 250 people died in riots after a journalist infuriated Muslims by suggesting the Prophet Mohammed might approve of the contest.

On Saturday Unnur Birna Vilhjalmsdottir, Miss Iceland, was crowned Miss World 2005. The runner-up was Miss Mexico, Dafne Molina Lona, while Miss Puerto Rico, Ingrid Marie Rivera Santos, came third.

Jolie inspires make-up artist to educate Afghan women – ANI 12/10/2005

W ASHINGTON - Angelina Jolie's make-up artist has revealed that the actress' encouragement gave him the inspiration to help women in his native country of Afghanistan acquire a formal education.

Matin Maulawizada said that it was the United Nation goodwill ambassador who told him to put his fears aside and do the right thing. "She told me to put side my fears and do what I need to do," Contactmusic quoted him, as saying.

According to Maulawizada, those words helped him set up 'Afghan Hands', an institution which not only pays Afghani women to embroider one-of-a-kind scarves and shawls, but also pays them to learn to read and write with a teacher. He said that the aim of the institution was to help the women to get their high school diplomas.

"My goal is that they get high school diplomas," he said. The make-up artist further added that he had been thrilled to find that the women had learnt to write their names when he received a consignment with their signatures on the back.

"I received a shipment of shawls and (the women) had signed their names on the back. They had finally learned to write their own names. They were the most beautiful signatures I'd ever seen," he added.

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