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'Widening gap' between Afghanistan, Pakistan, says Karzai
Pakistan reiterates need for border fence with Afghanistan
Pakistan reassures support to Afghanistan
Mullah Omar says hasn't seen bin Laden for years
Army to identify areas for fencing on Afghan border
Problems in due to Indian presence in Afghanistan: Kasuri
Govt to take federal cabinet on board on foreign policy issues
Blast claimed by Taliban kills 5
Durrani calls on Sayyaf, extends invitation to visit Pakistan
AFGHAN-PAKISTANI TENSION COULD CREATE OPENING FOR IRAN
Outside View: Europe's Afghan test
Microfinance in Afghanistan
'Widening gap' between Afghanistan, Pakistan, says Karzai
by Bronwen Roberts
KABUL (AFP) -Afghanistan and Pakistan remained at odds about the laying of mines on their shared border after top-level talks, with President Hamid Karzai noting a "widening gap" between the neighbours.
Karzai also told reporters Thursday after meeting with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz he was "not satisfied" with Pakistan's efforts to organise an agreed tribal council to discuss the worsening Taliban insurgency.
Karzai called Aziz to Kabul for talks amid a new row between the Muslim neighbours about Pakistan's plans to mine and fence part of the boundary to stem the crossborder movement of militants carrying out attacks in Afghanistan.
The countries are at loggerheads about the growing violence in Afghanistan, which accuses Pakistan of not doing enough against factions in its territory alleged to be training and funding the Islamist insurgents.
"The gap between Afghanistan and Pakistan unfortunately is widening," Karzai said at a media briefing after the talks, which ran overtime.
He repeated his strong objections to mining and fencing the rugged 2,500-kilometre (1,500-mile) frontier, saying it was "very clear" this "cannot prevent terrorism but it will divide the two nations".
Afghanistan, one of the most mined countries in the world, also opposed the plan because of the "deadly human consequences" of mines, he said, echoing concerns raised by the United Nations.
Aziz said however Pakistan believed selective mining and fencing could stop the crossing of "people who are not welcome on the other side".
But Karzai said Afghanistan was "asking for other measures".
He added: "We have said, 'Let us work against places where training for terrorism is taking place, where funding for terrorism is taking place, where supplies are given.'"
Aziz meanwhile announced the establishment of a commission to look at plans to call a tribal council, called a jirga, in the ethnic Pashtun areas along the border where Taliban militants are rooted.
Karzai mooted the idea at talks late last year with US President George W. Bush and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, who agreed to the plan which will see a similar meeting on the Afghan side of the border.
Karzai said Thursday the jirgas would help find out "who is blowing (up) bombs in Afghanistan, who is burning Afghan schools."
The leaders agreed at the talks on the need for three million Afghan refugees in camps in Pakistan to go home, Aziz said, alleging insurgents attacking Afghanistan sometimes used refugee camps as safe havens.
And Pakistan would increase its grant assistance to Afghanistan by 50 million dollars, also extending a railway line from the Pakistan border town of Chaman to the nearby Afghan town of Spin Boldak, he said.
Karzai and Aziz said the countries planned greater interaction to address a lack of trust and "misunderstanding" between them.
Pakistan helped the Taliban to power in 1996, turning its back on the extremist movement after the September 11, 2001 attacks that were blamed on Al-Qaeda leaders taking refuge in Afghanistan.
Pakistan is now a key ally in the US-led "war on terror" in which Afghanistan is a key battlefield.
Despite the presence of nearly 40,000 troops here hunting down Taliban, Al-Qaeda and other Islamist militants, violence is growing in Afghanistan with more than 100 suicide bombings last year and almost daily clashes.
Afghan officials allege circles in Pakistan are involved and Karzai in December publicly accused Islamabad of backing the Islamists, adding that Pakistan wanted to turn Afghans into "slaves".
Some 4,000 people -- including 1,000 civilians, but mostly rebels -- died last year in insurgency-related unrest, four times more than the previous year.
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Pakistan reiterates need for border fence with Afghanistan
Thursday January 4, 10:32 PM
(Kyodo) _ Visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Thursday reiterated the benefits of fencing and mining the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, a proposal strongly rejected by Kabul.
"We are exploring many options including fencing and mining selectively to discourage people from going across the border, people who are not welcomed on either side, and we believe the selective mining and fencing will achieve this objective," Aziz told reporters in a joint news conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul.
Bilateral relations have been at odds over Afghan accusations that the country's former Taliban rulers are operating from Pakistan.
Last month, Afghanistan strongly rejected a proposal by the Pakistani government to fence and mine some parts of its border with Afghanistan to stop cross-border activities by Taliban insurgents.
The Afghan government said the plan was unpractical and would only "separate the two nations."
Afghanistan shares an estimated 2,500-kilometer-long border with Pakistan.
Karzai once again reiterated that fencing and mining the border would not stop terrorism and that it would only separate the people. He also added that to prevent terrorists from crossing into Afghanistan, their sanctuaries, training camps, and financing resources should be removed.
For Afghanistan, 2006 was the bloodiest year since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, with more than 4,000 people losing their lives in violence last year.
In the latest series of violence, five Afghan security forces were killed and four wounded when their vehicle was blown up by a remote-controlled bomb in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday, an army official said.
The blast happened in Urozgan Province as the soldiers were patrolling jointly with NATO troops, said Gen. Rahatullah Raufi, the regional Afghan army commander.
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Pakistan reassures support to Afghanistan
People's Daily Online, China
Pakistan on Thursday allayed Afghan government concerns over the alleged backing of militants by reassuring support to the post-Taliban nation.
"Pakistan believes in the sovereignty and independence of Afghanistan. It serves Pakistan to see a strong and stable environment in Afghanistan," Pakistan's prime minister Shaukat Aziz told reporters at a joint press conference with President Hamid Karzai after their meeting which lasted for two hours.
Relations between the two countries have been soured as Kabul accuses Pakistan of supporting Taliban militants while Islamabad terms the claims as baseless and rejects it.
Pakistan announced recently to fence and mines its border with Afghanistan but Afghan President described the plan as an attempt to divide the inhabitants of the either sides of the controversial Durand Line which divides the two neighbors.
Afghanistan's successive governments have not recognized the Durand Line as international border with Pakistan.
The objective of the plan, Pakistan says, is to check militants ' infiltration while President Karzai stressed for destroying terrorists' training centers and chocking their financial resources outside his country.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz repeated his government's stance that Islamabad would continue to fight against extremism and militancy alongside Afghanistan.
"We need to work together to ensure that collectively we pursue those policies and objectives which create peace, progress and prosperity in our region. Let me say that Pakistan is totally committed to fighting terrorism and extremism," Prime Minister Aziz said.
"It is in our respective national interests of both countries to oppose these forces. Afghanistan and Pakistan can work closely together to achieve these objectives," the Pakistani prime minister stressed.
He also said that Pakistan has so far contributed 300 million U. S. dollars in the reconstruction process of the war-ravaged Afghanistan.
However, Prime Minster Aziz confirmed that both Afghanistan and Pakistan are facing challenges and the two countries, he said, had to work together to face these challenges and remove misunderstanding.
President Karzai thanked Pakistan for its support during Afghan war against former Soviet Union and hosting millions of Afghan refugees, but also expressed his regret over the strained relations between the two neighbors.
"It is a matter of regret that the environment of distrust has been created in relations of the two neighbors, "Karzai said
The reason behind this distrust, Karzai added, was terrorist activities and terrorists' attacks on schools and spoiling stability in Afghanistan.
More than 4,000 people had been killed in Taliban-linked insurgency in 2006 and militants, according to their commanders, would further intensify their attacks in 2007.
"I hope that our discussions lead to viable stability in Afghanistan and our relations get closer as the Prime Minster assured us," the Afghan President emphasized.
Source: Xinhua
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Mullah Omar says hasn't seen bin Laden for years
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Taliban chief Mullah Mohammad Omar has added to the mystery over Osama bin Laden, saying he hasn't seen his ally and fellow fugitive since U.S.-backed forces ousted the Taliban from Afghanistan in 2001.
"No, I have neither seen him, nor have I made any effort to do so, but I pray for his health and safety," Omar said in an e-mailed response to questions sent by Reuters.
The questions were relayed to Omar through his spokesman, Mohammad Hanif, and a reply was received late on Wednesday.
A half-dozen audio tapes of bin Laden were circulated during the first half of 2006, but the al Qaeda leader last appeared on video tape in late 2004, while tapes of his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, have been issued regularly.
A video tape of bin Laden was released late last year, but it was identified as old footage, and the fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States passed without word from the al Qaeda leader.
Speculation over the whereabouts and health of bin Laden boiled over in September when a French provincial newspaper reported that he had died of typhoid in late August.
Although several governments and intelligence agencies rebutted that report, saying they had no evidence to suggest bin Laden had died, they acknowledged they had no clue to where he was.
The wealthy Saudi-born bin Laden helped bankroll the Taliban after moving to Afghanistan in the mid-1990s, and he was reported to have married one of Omar's daughters to cement their alliance.
The United States has offered a $25 million reward for the capture of bin Laden and $10 million for Omar.
The best guess to bin Laden's whereabouts remains somewhere on the rugged border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, in the ethnic tribal lands where Omar's Taliban counts on support to fight an insurgency against U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan and the government of President Hamid Karzai.
STILL IN CONTACT?
Analysts say that while there was no apparent evidence for any meeting between bin Laden and Omar after the September 11 attacks, the two fugitive militants are believed to have remained in contact in recent years.
"According to my information and the interviews which I conducted in the last two years in different provinces of the eastern and southern Afghanistan, Mullah Omar and Osama bin Laden are in touch, at least (for the) last two years," said Hamid Mir, a prominent Pakistani journalist who interviewed bin Laden shortly after the September 11 attacks.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, both major U.S. allies in the war on terrorism, have deteriorated sharply over the past year in the wake of the bloodiest campaign mounted by the Taliban since it was ousted from power.
Omar said people from the Pashtun tribal belt straddling the border were rallying to the Taliban's cause. "The people themselves have risen up to fight the Americans," he said.
Although the Taliban and al Qaeda are seen as allies, Omar said his sole focus was Afghanistan while bin Laden's movement was engaged in a global jihad, or holy war.
DIFFERENT GOALS
"They have set jihad as their goal, whereas we have set the expulsion of American troops from Afghanistan as our target," he said.
To start a political process to end the militancy, Pakistan and Afghanistan plan to organize tribal councils -- known as jirgas -- on both sides of the border. No dates have been fixed.
A Taliban spokesman said last month that the group might join the jirgas if asked, but Omar rejected the proposal.
"The only people who would participate are those who have sold out to foreign powers. Our participation is absolutely out of the question," the fugitive militant leader said.
He reiterated his call for the withdrawal of foreign troops to end the conflict in Afghanistan. "Unless that happens, the war will heat further up," Omar said.
Afghanistan says Omar is based in or around the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta, but Omar said he is in Afghanistan.
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Army to identify areas for fencing on Afghan border
From Afzal Khan (Our correspondent) 4 January 2007 Khaleej Times Online
ISLAMABAD - The government has tasked the army to work out modalities for selective fencing and mining of Pak-Afghan border and also identify the problem areas and sectors where infiltration takes place, Foreign Office spokeswoman Tasneem Aslam said yesterday.
In her weekly Press briefing, Tasneem Aslam said Pakistan intended selective fencing because it did not want to stop legal movement of the people from both sides of the border.
She said Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz would visit Kabul today to discuss bilateral relations and regional situation with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. She said that Pakistan attached great importance to its relations with Afghanistan and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz would discuss all matters of mutual interest with the Afghan president and ways and means to address common challenges being faced by them.
"Both leaders will review all aspects of Pak-Afghan relations during their talks," she said. Despite ups and downs in "our relations both countries have bonds which are unshakeable and unbreakable", she added.
Answering a question regarding a report on human rights violations, the spokeswoman said Pakistan attached great importance to the protection of human rights and the government was taking various steps in this regard.
She said that human rights violations occur anywhere in the world even in the United States but the Pakistan government was committed to minimising these violations.
Regarding the forthcoming visit of the Indian foreign minister to Islamabad, she said he would come to extend invitation to the Pakistani leadership for attending the Saarc summit being held in New Delhi in April this year. However, she said the Indian foreign minister would hold bilateral talks with Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri and they would review the third round of composite dialogue besides the issue of Jammu and Kashmir.
To a question regarding restrictions on movement of diplomats, she said Pakistan had repeatedly stated and suggested that it wanted to liberalise existing diplomatic regime but India had imposed restrictions on the movement of Pakistani diplomats. She said despite giving proposals in this regard, India had not responded so far.
She said there was no proposal to include Taxila in the limits of Islamabad for the movement of diplomats.
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Problems in due to Indian presence in Afghanistan: Kasuri
Zee News, India
Islamabad, Jan 4: Pakistan has said it is facing "certain problems" in Balochistan and the tribal areas because of the "Indian presence" in Afghanistan
Confrontation on Pakistan's borders with India has de-escalated considerably during the last three years and the dialogue process has moved in the right direction with the two sides evaluating options to resolve Kashmir issue, Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Kasuri said.
However, "we are facing certain problems in Balochistan and the tribal areas because of the Indian presence in Afghanistan," Daily Times quoted him as saying during a recent cabinet briefing.
Kasuri's briefing to the cabinet was part of efforts to provide detailed information to ministers on foreign policy issues, it said.
Bureau Reports
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Govt to take federal cabinet on board on foreign policy issues
Daily Times (Pakistan)
ISLAMABAD: The government has decided for the first time to take the federal cabinet into confidence on sensitive foreign policy issues, sources told Daily Times on Wednesday.
"The decision to take the federal cabinet into confidence on Pakistan's foreign policy was taken in the last cabinet meeting after Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri informed the cabinet about the security implications in Balochistan and the tribal areas due to the Indian presence in Afghanistan," the sources said. They added that the government wanted to take the entire parliament, including opposition parties, into confidence on the issue, but after thorough discussions and opinions by senior cabinet colleagues, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz decided to hold a special cabinet meeting on foreign policy.
"Keeping in view the ministers' concern over the country's foreign policy, the cabinet meeting will discuss Pakistan's cooperation in the war on terrorism, the ongoing composite dialogue between Pakistan and India, Pakistan-Afghanistan relations and the peace accord with tribal elders in South Waziristan," said the sources.
The sources said that Kasuri told the cabinet meeting that confrontation on Pakistan's eastern borders had de-escalated considerably during the last three years and the dialogue process with India was moving in the right direction on various options for the resolution of the Kashmir issue in consultation with the Kashmiri leadership. "However, we are facing certain problems in Balochistan and the tribal areas because of the Indian presence in Afghanistan," the sources quoted Kasuri as saying to the cabinet.
The sources said that the NWFP governor is also likely to be invited to the meeting to brief the cabinet on the outcome of the peace deal in South Waziristan and its replication in other tribal agencies. They added that the issue of infiltration as alleged by Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistan's proposed civil nuclear and trade cooperation with China would also be discussed in the meeting.
The sources said that some cabinet members were keen to know the 'price' Pakistan had paid for being the frontline ally on the war on terrorism with special focus on Pakistan-US relations and its impact on Pakistan's relations with Afghanistan. "The ministers also want to know about Pakistan-Iran relations in connection with Afghanistan and the proposed gas pipeline project," the sources added. zulfiqar ghuman
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Blast claimed by Taliban kills 5
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - A roadside bomb killed five Afghan security forces and wounded four as they patrolled with NATO troops in southern Afghanistan, an army chief said Thursday.
The blast happened in Uruzgan province on Wednesday evening, said regional Afghan army commander Gen. Rehmatullah Raufi. He blamed Taliban militants.
The explosion wrecked a vehicle carrying Afghan forces and no NATO troops were hurt, he said.
In a text message to an Associated Press reporter, purported Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi said its militants had carried out the attack using a remote-controlled land mine.
Militant supporters of the Taliban have recently stepped up attacks on Afghan and Western forces, setting off the bloodiest fighting since the fall of the hardline regime five years ago.
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Durrani calls on Sayyaf, extends invitation to visit Pakistan
Associated Press of Pakistan
KABUL Jan. 3 (APP) Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Muhammad Ali Durrani Wednesday called on Abdul Rab Rasool Sayyaf, Head of Commission on International Relations of Afghanistan, and extended an invitation to him from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to visit Pakistan. Bilateral relations were discussed during the meeting. Abdul Rab Rasool Sayyaf accepted the visit invitation, which was extended to him on behalf of Chairman Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed. He said he would visit Pakistan very soon.
Muhammad Ali Durrani, explaining the purpose of his visit, said it was to promote people to people relations and boost cooperation in the field of media.
The Minister said media could play important role in promoting understanding, brotherhood and bilateral relations between the two countries. He said negative statements in the press could effect the relations of the two countries.
Durrani said Pakistan wants to play positive and constructive role in the progress and prosperity of Afghanistan. He said many leading Pakistani media groups wanted to open their set up in Kabul with a programme to open tv channels and newspapers.
The Minister said both Pakistan and Afghanistan could play more active role in the Muslim Ummah through cooperation in various fields for the progress, prosperity and development of the Ummah and for the benefit of the people of their countries.
Abdul Rab Rasool Sayyaf, a former Jehadi leader, emphasized the strong and traditional relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan said there should be more exchange of delegations to further promoted these strong ties.
He said the two brotherly and neighbourly countries are important part of the Muslim Ummah. "We want a strong and stable Pakistan so that it could expand its cooperation to Afghanistan for the benefit of the people of two countries," he said.
The Afghan leader, underlining the need to promote cooperation between the two countries, said that both the countries should work closely, seriously and with sensibility to strengthen the bilateral relations.
He said if any thing will happen in Afghanistan, it will have direct impact on Pakistan. Therefore, a strong and stable Afghanistan is also in favour of its neighbours including Pakistan, he said.
Referring to Jirga system, the Afghan leader said it is a good opportunity and way forward to resolve the disputes. He said the disputes and problems should be resolved through negotiation with mutual discussion instead of discussing these problems in public.
Emphasizing the need to promote exchange of delegations between the two countries, Sayyaf said the people could play more active role in promoting understanding and strengthening ties.
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AFGHAN-PAKISTANI TENSION COULD CREATE OPENING FOR IRAN
Alex Vatanka January 3, 2007 Eurasianet
Lingering acrimony in Afghan-Pakistani relations could create a diplomatic opening for Iran to increase its economic and political influence in Kabul.
Afghan-Pakistani tension is rooted in the revived Taliban insurgency. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Despite repeated denials by Islamabad, the prevailing sentiment in Kabul is that Pakistan is providing critical assistance to the Taliban. Afghan media now openly depict Islamabad as striving to undermine President Hamid Karzai's administration. Afghan officials evidently believe that Pakistan seeks to recover political leverage in Afghanistan that it lost after the Taliban regime was driven from Kabul in 2001.
The rhetoric became heated toward the end of 2006. On December 6, a commentary published by the Afghan newspaper Taraqi asserted the "Taliban are fully supported by the ISI [Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence] and the religious parties of Pakistan, and leaders such as Qazi Hussain Ahmad [the leader of Jamaat-e-Islami, a hard-line, anti-Western party with its base in the volatile border regions of the North-West Frontier Province] and Mawlana Fazel Rahman [the leader of Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam, another ultra-conservative Islamist party in NWFP]."
Karzai on December 12 unequivocally blamed the Pakistani government for fueling the ongoing Taliban insurgency. According to Afghan media reports, Karzai stated that "if the world community does not realize the extent of Pakistan's interference in Afghanistan, and does not find a solution to the current Pakistani military intervention in Afghanistan, the flames of the fire will spread to the region and the world." [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].
On December 16, the Afghan weekly Eqtedar-e Melli urged the government to transform its anti-Pakistan rhetoric into an official policy. An editorial suggested that Pakistan has only been "emboldened and has found the hope of succeeding in their policies in Afghanistan" due to Karzai's emotional speech on December 12. Meanwhile, the daily Cheragh greeted the speech as a "policy change on the part of the Afghan government," while Arman-e Melli asked Karzai to show fortitude and "fight the most evil and treacherous militarists ruling the neighboring country."
Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri hit back on December 20, suggesting that Karzai's administration was attempting to shift attention away from its own shortcomings. Kasuri stressed that the maintenance of order in Afghanistan was the "responsibility of the Afghan Army and NATO forces." In an interview on the al-Arabiya News Channel, Kasuri called for an end to "verbal vitriol" from Afghanistan and urged "greater cooperation, coordination and intelligence sharing," as well as the termination of illegal cross-border movement. He also alleged that Kabul was trying to turn Islamabad into "a convenient scapegoat."
"It takes the attention away from the poppy production in Afghanistan, from corruption in Afghanistan, from warlordism in Afghanistan," Kasuri said.
Kasuri blamed the lack of progress in the implementation of better border monitoring schemes on Afghanistan's unwillingness to establish border posts. Afghan opposition is rooted in fear that such action would legitimize the Durand Line, the contrived 2,600-km border set up by the British in 1893 that divides mainly Pashtun-populated lands between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and which remains widely disputed by Pashtuns in Afghanistan.
In a sign that Pakistan is sincere in its desire to lower tension, the Pakistani army has started to erect a border fence in selected areas along the country's frontier with Afghanistan, the Foreign Ministry announced on January 3. Pakistani officials have also pledged to sow landmines in some border areas. The action would be aimed at hampering the ability of Taliban militants to carry out raids into Afghanistan from bases in Pakistan.
While authorities in Kabul were still fuming over Kasuri's alleged calls for the Karzai administration to share power with the Taliban, Afghanistan's First Vice President, Ahmad Zia, paid a visit to Iran from December 16-18. Zia met President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Vice President Ali Saeedlou and Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki. [Kasuri has denied making the comments on power-sharing].
Ahmadinejad reportedly told Zia that Iran was prepared to "transfer its experience and valuable achievements in different fields, such as supplying energy in order to rebuild Afghanistan." Saeedlou emphasised Tehran's particular interest in projects to develop Afghanistan's economic infrastructure. Meanwhile, Zia took a clear swipe at Pakistan, saying the "roots of instability and insecurity in Afghanistan are the conspiracies of foreign powers."
Both Tehran and Islamabad look on Afghanistan in highly geo-strategic terms, with both sides certain that strong footing in Kabul is essential to protecting their respective regional interests. Radio Mashhad, a regional outlet of the Islamic Republic News Agency that broadcasts in Tajik, Dari and Pashtun to Afghanistan, has in recent weeks frequently carried interviews with Afghan observers who point the finger at Pakistan as the main source of instability in Afghanistan. This is a reaction to allegations made by Hamid Gul, the former head of the ISI, that Tehran is aiding anti-Karzai and anti-NATO forces in the provinces of Farah and Nimroz. Tehran, which has rejected the allegations, is officially advocating the withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan in return for a security arrangement under UN auspices. Islamabad, meanwhile, is content with present NATO-led setup.
The Iranian overture toward Kabul, and Tehran's flexing its political muscle on the regional stage, is not being overlooked by Islamabad. But it remains to be seen whether Iranian-Pakistani rivalry will take on a conspicuously antagonistic shape in 2007. From the departure of Soviet troops in 1989 through the demise of the Taliban in 2001, the Iranian-Pakistani turf war in Afghanistan facilitated the prolongation of civil strife among various Afghan ethnic groups and factions. The renewal of a heated Iranian-Pakistani rivalry would likely exacerbate the already highly unstable socio-political situation in Afghanistan.
Tehran and Islamabad now have a strong economic incentive to restrain their jockeying over Afghanistan. On December 19, Kasuri, the Pakistani foreign minister, visited Iran for talks that focused primarily on plans to build a natural gas pipeline, known as Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI). If not managed properly, the Iranian-Pakistani rivalry over Afghanistan could hamper implementation of IPI.
The English-language Pakistani newspaper Dawn quoted Ahmadinejad as saying the "construction of a natural gas pipeline from Iran through Pakistan to India would not only lead to strengthening friendly ties among our three countries, but also decrease tensions in the entire region."
Editor's Note: Alex Vatanka is a Washington, DC,-based freelance writer who specializes in Iranian affairs.
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Outside View: Europe's Afghan test
By ROBERT HUNTER UPI Outside View Commentator
WASHINGTON, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- On Sept. 12, 2001, the European allies rose as one in support of the United States, struck by terrorists the day before. For the first time in its history, the North Atlantic Council invoked NATO's cardinal commitment, the "all for one" pledge to defend any ally subject to aggression.
European nations were not motivated by sentiment or charity. They knew that at some point, al-Qaida would target them. And they knew that unless they supported America in its hour of need, the United States could hardly be expected to respond if and when Europe again needed the weight of American power. America's cause was, indeed, shared by the Western alliance in common -- strategically, politically and morally.
Five years later, the European allies watch the U.S. debate about Iraq with a mixture of schadenfruede and bemused detachment, but also with a good deal of apprehension and even fear for the impact of possible U.S. failure in Iraq or, worse, a new inward-turning on the part of the American people.
Of course, little has changed in European attitudes towards U.S. involvement in Iraq. The supporting coalition (led by Britain) is as narrow as before. There are no new volunteers for combat roles, and the recent NATO summit in Riga only produced commitments to help train Iraqi security forces -- precious little comfort for the Alliance's beleaguered "indispensable nation."
But like the day after Sept. 11, 2001, there is something Europe needs to do to help America today, not just because the United States is in trouble but because all will share in the consequences of what happens now, for good or ill, in the greater Middle East.
Within the limits of European politics and attitudes, allies can serve their own interests as well as America's by radically stepping up their collective commitment to Afghanistan. Here, there is no ambiguity and there should be no ambivalence.
The United Nations mandated the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. The NATO allies unanimously accepted responsibility for its success. All 26 allies have deployed troops and other security personnel, as have 11 non-NATO countries. All must understand that a resurgent Taliban, ISAF failure, and allied retreat would impose severe penalties. NATO has, in fact, "bet the alliance" in Afghanistan and all the allies helped make that wager.
The good news at the Riga summit was that allied heads of state and government did focus on Afghanistan. The bad news is that they came up far short of what they have to do to reverse declining fortunes. NATO's military commanders gained a paltry number of new troop pledges. Those allies unwilling to face the risks of conflict agreed to modify their so-called "national caveats" that keep them out of harm's way, but only in an emergency, and tactical airlift will still fall far short of basic needs.
Even so, the military shortfall is a small part of the overall problem. Equally consequential are the continuing inadequacies of the Afghan government (about which outsiders ultimately can do little) and severe limitations on the non-military civilian effort that is a sine qua non of Afghanistan's future.
Allies with responsibilities for police training (Germany), fostering a viable judiciary (Italy), and stemming the renewed flood of opium poppy production (Britain) have fallen far short of what they agreed to do. Worse, there is no overall coordination of civilian activities undertaken by governments, international institutions and non-governmental organizations, and far too few resources.
It is a truism that Western drug addicts are putting more hard currency into Afghanistan than Western governments. The best that could be done by NATO at Riga was to adopt a weak French proposal for a "contact group." This is an oft-used device to advise on peace negotiations, but a non-starter for mobilizing resources, pinning responsibility and exercising leadership.
Leadership should be assumed by the European Union. Its members have all the needed resources and skills in governance, education, health, agriculture, and the like. Many have vast experience in so-called "nation building."
The EU has been demanding respect from NATO and the United States for its foreign policy and security ambitions. By assuming a greater role in Afghanistan, Europeans can show Washington that they are prepared to take on serious security responsibilities in the Middle East, not just to kibitz and criticize what the United States is doing in Iraq or not doing in Arab-Israeli peacemaking.
Action won't be cheap; and the Europeans must give authority to a first-class political personality as civilian "supremo" in Afghanistan, working in tandem with ISAF and the Afghan government.
Afghanistan is put up or shut up time for European nations in general and the EU in particular in the greater Middle East. Meeting responsibilities is in their own self-interest and is needed to forestall the first-ever failure by the Western alliance.
Robert E. Hunter is a senior adviser at the Rand Corp., a nonprofit research organization. He was U.S. ambassador to NATO from 1993 to 1998 and recently visited Afghanistan.
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Microfinance in Afghanistan
Source: Mercy Corps 03 Jan 2007
Mercy Corps has continuously been working in Afghanistan since 1986. In recent years, the agency has assisted two and a half million Afghans with programs to help rehabilitate lives and livelihoods after decades of conflict, political instability and a multi-year drought.
To date, Mercy Corps has completed over 50 programs throughout Afghanistan's urban and rural areas. These programs focus on agricultural and economic development to empower citizens, and initiatives that provide access to services and opportunities for marginalized Afghans.
As the country struggles to move toward a brighter future, Mercy Corps programs strive to ensure that Afghans at the household, community and institutional level are able to build sustainable livelihoods and productive communities in an environment in which the government is accountable to the people.
This series highlights the Ariana microfinance program started in Kabul City in May of 2003. Ariana Financial Service Group provides fair priced savings and loan products to poor clients to help increase their incomes, expand their businesses and improve their quality of life.
Since the program inception, Ariana has supported nearly 17,000 clients with a total of over three million US dollars in loans. 82% of Ariana's clients are women, who represent one of the most vulnerable social groups in Afghanistan. Ariana's clients run micro-enterprises in all areas of Afghan life; i.e. weaving, carpentry, tailoring, hair dressing, food processing, florists, kite production, knitting, leather working or animal husbandry. Ariana has received funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and from MISFA (Microfinance Investment Support Facility for Afghanistan).
Small Loans Make a Big Difference
BY SHIRINE PONT | January 3, 2007
Five years after September 11th, 2001 the challenges Afghanistan faces remain formidable.
After decades of destruction, drought and under-investment, poverty is wide spread and deeply entrenched. 70% of Afghans live on less than 2 USD a day and the average income per year lies at about 300 USD . Sustained economic growth is necessary to address this great level of poverty and to provide Afghan people with a better, and more secure future.
Achieving economic growth for the poorest of the poor in Afghanistan is not easy. Most Afghans make a living with small-scale agriculture or with informal family-owned micro enterprises engaged in trading or basic services. They have few ways of accessing the capital necessary to start a business or expand it. The banking system in Afghanistan has been slow to establish itself since 2001, and remains heavily concentrated in Kabul and larger cities. Even if Afghans have access to a bank, most of them are too poor to qualify for conventional bank loans.
Mercy Corps recognized the great need for financial services for the poor and in May 2003 founded "Ariana Financial Services Group", one of the first Microfinance institutions in Afghanistan with a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Since its launch Ariana has supported over 16,900 clients with a total of approximately 3,200,000 USD in loans. Currently, Ariana has 5,742 active clients with a total loan value of 1,266,000 USD. Clients run micro-enterprises in all areas of Afghan life; i.e. weaving, carpentry, tailoring, hair dressing, food processing, florists, kite production, knitting, leather working or animal husbandry.
Making barely enough to live on, many Afghan micro-enterprises are unable to provide collateral for a loan. Ariana therefore primarily works over solidarity group lending, where a group of 4 - 8 people jointly receive a loan and are as a group accountable should a member default. The social pressure created by the group has proven to be highly effective when it comes to loan repayments.
Only 0.9% of Ariana's portfolio is considered to be at risk - a very low rate that many commercial banks would be proud to achieve. Ariana's average loan size works out to be about 220 USD. Group loans start at 7500 Afghani (about 150 USD) and can go up to 14,700 Afghani (300 USD) with a flat interest rate of 2% per month. A group must have successfully repaid their loan to be able to qualify for more credit, which can at most be 40% higher than the previous loan. Once clients have successfully taken part in 4 group loans, they can apply for an individual loan. In November 2005 Ariana started granting loans to individuals and so far 2.5% of clients are holding individual loans.
Ariana predominantly supports female entrepreneurs. Historically, Ariana started working in district 7 of Kabul, which had been heavily damaged during the war and was home to many war refugees. Mercy Corps had been building a women's centre there in a Cash-For-Work scheme that employed solely women. After having constructed the centre, the women received vocational training in various handicrafts to allow them - many of them widows - to generate an income for their families. These women were Ariana's first clients and received loans to finance the setup of their businesses.
Today 82% of Ariana's clients continue to be women. Ariana's emphasis on women has several reasons: Women are one of the most vulnerable social groups in Afghanistan and suffered heavily under the Taliban. As Storai Sadat, the Managing Director of Ariana puts it: "The Taliban had a very bad effect on women's mind-set in Afghanistan. Even after the Taliban left, many women doubted their ability to work and make a living after having been confined to their homes for 6 years." Helping women establish a business not only provides critical income to their families, but often is the decisive factor that helps them leave the confines of their home and take part in life outside. According to Storai "many women would work at home and would have no idea of the value of their work on the market as they would never leave the house. Their men would sell the products and women had no information about where the products would be sold and what profit they could make." Ariana's 17 loan officers - most of them women - help the female entrepreneurs draw up simple balance sheets to take on the financial management of their businesses, which allows the women to have higher financial independence. Many women have found the confidence to venture outside of their homes to support their businesses. Often the income the women contribute to the household is the difference it takes for their children to be able to go to school.
"Another reason for Ariana's focus on female clients is cultural: In Afghanistan, women take on a large part of the responsibility of caring for the family. It is a question of honor for them to repay any debt they might have. Afghan women simply are far more unlikely to default on a debt than men are." Storai explains. With a smile she continues to say that she believes women are better managers; and her team of mostly female loan officers and the success of Ariana certainly are a case in point.
Since its launch Ariana has twice received funding from MISFA (Microfinance Investment Support Facility for Afghanistan) which has helped it grow as an organization and - security permitting - will allow it to expand its operations beyond Kabul. Storai has the vision of turning Ariana into an independent, self-sufficient financial organization with a diverse range of financial products available in all of Afghanistan. In the 3.5 years since Ariana's founding 16.900 clients and Ariana's small but highly dedicated team have all been contributing their part to the reconstruction of a peaceful and successful Afghanistan.
Shamsia: Profile of an Ariana Microfinance Beneficiary
My name is Shamsia. I am 31 years old and am from Kabul. I run a school for women where they learn how to sew, embroider, make jewelry, produce 'chapans' (a traditional Afghan costume) and weave.
I have had my school for 6 years now. I already started giving courses during the Taliban. I had to work in secret then, in people's houses, as the Taliban had forbidden women to work or to go to school. It was dangerous, but I wanted to help Afghan women. Women here are very poor; they often have no education and no livelihood. Some of them have to stay at home and can not go out. I have founded my own NGO called 'Help Poor Women Organization' HPWO to support Afghan women.
I am a client of Mercy Corps' Microfinance Organization Ariana. I have already received two loans from Ariana. The loans have helped me buy materials for my school, like more stones for making jewelry and cloth for the sewing classes. I have also been able to increase the number of students I have from 17 to 32.
I am so happy about receiving support from Ariana that I have told many people about this and I think I must have won at least 200 new clients for Ariana. Many of my students have formed a group to apply for a loan in order to start their own businesses.
My school finances itself by selling the products my students have made; we have a room at the school in which we present all our products. Sometimes, men come and buy our products to sell them on the market. When we can, we take part in exhibitions in Kabul to show and sell our products. Our jewelry is very pretty and I sell it to people who export it abroad.
Our products are not very expensive. Everything is handmade, and an embroidered scarf costs 6 USD and an embroidered shirt only 20 USD. Our jewelry sells for 10 to 30 USD, depending on what stones we used.
We have two classes every day, one from 8 - 12 and one from 12 to 16.30. The women who are learning to embroider don't come to school as often as they can do their work at home. My students don't have to pay for coming to my school, on the contrary - I give them 300 Afghani (about 5 USD) per month bus money so they can afford coming to school. Some students stay on after their graduation and become teachers at the school, then I pay them a salary.
My brothers say I should stay at home and get married. Afghan women can have a lot of problems with their families if they want to study and work! I have had to fight hard to continue school after 6th grade. My brothers wanted me to stop studying, but I fought and talked until they gave in and let me finish high school. My brother's wife was a tailor, and she taught me how to sew. I could not have a shop (women here cannot stand in a shop and sell) and so I had the idea to start a school and help other women.
Right now, I only work in Kabul but I dream of expanding my school and helping women in all of Afghanistan. But it is not easy, just today my landlord called me that he wants to raise the rent for the schoolhouse from 300 USD to 500 USD per month. Rents in Kabul have gone down, but he just wants more money, and I cannot afford this. I do not know what I will do next about this.
I send my greetings to the people of America. I hope they will continue to support us.
Note: Shamsia is an excellent example for Ariana's microfinance clients in Afghanistan, who have to overcome many challenges in order to be able to work and have a livelihood. She has managed to solve the problem with her landlord. She is very happy as she has recently become engaged. She plans to continue her school after her marriage - if her husbands permits.
Life in Shashtepa Takes a Turn For The Better
BY SHIRINE PONT | January 3, 2007
Hajji Qetbiddin has lived in Shashtepa all his life. At 55 years of age, he the eldest of Shashtepa's village 'shura' (council of eldest) who lead the community. Every year, Hajji Qetbiddin and Shashtepa built a mud dam to regulate the stream running by their village and increase water levels in the irrigation channels leading to their fields. Being made of mud, the dam never held more than a few days before the stream returned to its previous course. Every year, Hajji Qetbiddin made regular trips to Taloqan to visit government officials and NGOs to solicit support for his community but he never received the help he was looking for. Shashtepa struggled on and tried to make the best of its situation.
Shashtepa is a small village of 200 families in the northern Takhar province of Afghanistan, about 1.5 hours drive away from the city of Taloqan, the capital of the province. Traditionally all families in Shashtepa are farmers who grow rice, wheat and vegetables and raise livestock. Most of the production is used for subsistence, and some of their harvest is transported to Taloqan for sale. The community has about 2,000 jeribs of land (400 ha or about 1,000 are) of which half is watered over irrigation channels from a nearby stream, while the other half depends on rain for its water.
In the past decade, Afghanistan has been struck by a prolonged drought, and the land of Shashtepa never had sufficient water to support more than one harvest of wheat and vegetables per year. Rains would fail and after spring the water in the stream would sink too low to reach all irrigations channels in the fields. Most villagers had to take on seasonal work in Iran and Pakistan to sustain their families.
Mercy Corps' Afghanistan Rural Recovery Program (AARP) is helping rural communities improve their food and livelihood security. Shashtepa was chosen as one of the 55 communities to take part in this program in northern Afghanistan. Mercy Corps supported Shashtepa to analyze what the most urgent needs of the community were. To make sure that the community would identify projects that were relevant to all community members, a democratically elected village council of men and women was created in Shashtepa in addition to the existing shura. The new village council identified the construction of a dam to regulate the water levels of their stream and an access road to the village as the two most important projects for Shashtepa.
The people of Shashtepa contributed to the projects as they could: they provided all the gravel (230 cubic meters) needed for the dam construction, the villagers undertook the excavation of the foundations themselves and also took care of backfilling (filling up holes created during construction) after the dam was completed. Mercy Corps hired the villagers in a cash-for-work scheme for some of the basic construction work that was needed, thereby also providing the community with a source of income and an injection of cash.
The construction of the dam created a small lake and raised water levels sufficiently for the farmers of Shashtepa to continuously irrigate their land. The increased irrigation now allows them to double their production and grow two crops rather than only one per year; one of rice and one of wheat and vegetables. The completion of the dam in April 2005 coincided with the beginning of the rice planting season. For the first time in a many years water levels were again high enough for the villagers to plant rice. Hajji Qetbiddin is delighted that he doesn't have to buy rice at the market anymore, but can now grow his own.
Access to the community had always been difficult, as there had only been small pathways with roughly constructed bridges to the village. Small pickup trucks could only get through to Shashtepa in the summer when the weather was good and the stream was running low. The community had identified the construction of a 4 km long road with a bridge and several culverts as their second most important project. The village donated 5 jeribs of their agricultural land for the construction of the access road, as the existing path was not wide enough for a road. Good agricultural land is precious in Afghanistan and the willingness of the community to donate this land is an indication of how important they considered this project to be. In addition, they agreed to undertake some of the leveling needed for the road themselves for free. Mercy Corps engaged the villagers of Shashtepa in a cash-for-work scheme where they were paid for building the gravel road under the supervision of Mercy Corps' technical team.
The road has had a significant impact on the community's life and income. Before the road existed, transporting 1 seeb (about 7kg) of the villager's harvest to Taloqan cost them 3 Afghani (about 6 USD cents); now the transportation costs have sunken to 1 Afghani per seeb. In the case of Hajji Qetbiddin who owns 100 jeribs of land (1 jerib produces 80 seebs of rice) he can now save up to 160 USD in transportation costs per harvest. In a country where the average yearly income is 300 USD, this is a fortune.
The new road has also made it much easier and safer for the children of the village to walk or ride their bicycle to school. In the past the timber bridge that crossed the stream was regularly swept away in spring floods making it very difficult for children to cross the stream and get to school.
Hajji Qetbiddin will never let Mercy Corps team members leave Shashtepa without inviting them to at least a cup of local tea or 'chai' at his home. He believes Mercy Corps has made a substantial difference in his village's situation: "Our life is agriculture. Mercy Corps has saved our life."
A Story of Glitter and Plastic Flowers
BY SHIRINE PONT | January 3, 2007
Shala is an Afghan success story. At 31, she has managed to rebuild her life after having lost everything to the war in Afghanistan and lived as a refugee in Iran. She now is the proud owner of two shops in Kabul and spends her days focusing on the most joyful occasion in an Afghan woman's life: marriage. Shala has a beauty parlor specialized on brides and a second shop in which her husband makes wedding flower decorations.
Afghan fashion for brides follows the trends in Turkey and in Saudi-Arabia. Currently orange and pistachio green (for makeup as well as for decorations) are in vogue. Fashionable Afghan brides are pale, and have their hair elaborately curled to cascade down over their shoulders. Eyes and lips are heavily emphasized. Brides will change their clothes several times during the wedding, and if they can afford it one dress will be an elaborate ball gown in light green or white. Shala shows us the glitter that is the height of fashion right now, it is a bright, shimmering green which is applied on the eyes, on the hair and hands to highlight and decorate.
Shala offers her customers a complete service at her beauty parlor: she will cut and dye their hair, do their nails, massage their faces and do their makeup for them. A regular haircut will cost between 100 and 150 Afghani (2 to 3 USD) depending on the length of hair. Making a bride ready for her big day can cost from 2,500 up to 5,000 Afghani (50 to 100 USD).
Shala has worked hard to make her life a success. She started working at 7 years of age, making flower decorations for weddings. At 14 she learned how to be a beautician as an apprentice at a beauty parlor in Kabul. Now she herself teaches apprentices. She takes on 4 students for half a year, after which they officially graduate with a certificate. Apprentices pay her 500 AFA (10 USD) a month to study with her.
Shala got married at 18 and shortly after that she and her family had to flee to Iran as the Taliban took over Kabul. Life in Iran was difficult, for as an Afghan refugee Shala was not allowed to work officially and therefore could not earn much. Her children could not go to school there. Shala and her family stayed in Iran for 8 years. They returned to Afghanistan 2.5 years ago because as Shala puts it: "The fighting in our country was finished" and they simply wanted to come back home.
Back in Kabul Shala wanted to start working again right away but neither she nor her husband could find a job. She finally rented a small shop in the area she still is in now, opened a beauty parlor in it and started working on her own. She was paying a rent of about 120 USD per month, an exorbitant sum, and as soon as she could, she moved out.
What enabled her to move out was a loan from Mercy Corps' Microfinance organization Ariana. Shala had heard about Ariana from a family member. She had tried to borrow money from her relatives to start her business but they had not been able to help her. The loan of 7.500 AFA (150 USD) from Ariana allowed Shala move to the larger store she is in now, and seriously invest in her business. Currently Shala is on her third loan from Ariana and she has managed to rent the store next door, where her husband now makes and sells plastic flower decorations for weddings and birthdays. Shala has made her beauty parlor a success and customers come from the other side of town to have their hair cut by her. Sometimes she has up to 6 brides in her store ready to be prepared for their big day.
Shala's recipe for success is: "I am honest. I am strong and I am not afraid to work hard, I always work as hard as possible." She says she continuously tries to invest in and improve her business. Shala is saving all the money she can. She hopes to rent an even bigger shop with better furniture in 6 months time.
Shala says of herself that she is a modern Afghan woman. She does not want to rely on her husband to support her family; she works as if she were solely responsible for their wellbeing. She wants her children to go to school and be able to have a better life. Her dream is to earn enough money to buy land, build a house, and have a garden for her children to play in. With the help of glitter and plastic flowers she is coming closer to fulfilling her dream one step at a time.
Profile of A Modern Afghan Woman
BY SHIRINE PONT | January 3, 2007
Storai Sadat is the epitome of a modern Afghan woman. In a society where women are often still forbidden to leave the house by their families, Storai is working as the Executive Director of one of Afghanistan's first microfinance organizations Ariana Financial Services Group (AFSG). Ariana provides micro loans to Afghan women and in this way Storai and her team have managed to influence the lives of over 16,900 clients for the better.
When the Taliban took over the capital city of Kabul in September 1996, it issued several edicts that stripped women and girls of their rights, basically making them hostages in their own homes. The edicts forbade women and girls to work or receive an education. It also prohibited them from leaving their homes unless accompanied by a close male relative; and imposed strict rules on behavior and clothing. Women would face severe punishments - beatings or even death - for minor violations of these rules.
Nevertheless, during the time of the Taliban Storai worked as a translator for a German NGO at the Ministry of Public Health in Kabul. Whenever she ran into difficulties with the Taliban, the program she was part of closed down for one to two months and then quietly restarted again. Storai had been studying medicine at Kabul University when the Taliban effectively closed down Universities, and she and many colleagues had to put their studies on hold, not knowing if and when they could pick them up again.
Storai describes the five years of the rule of the Taliban as a time in which people lived in darkness. Every day life was heavily restricted and regulated; living standards dropped considerably and the economy took a turn for the worse, also because no one was willing to invest in the country. She thinks that if the US had not ousted the Taliban, the Taliban might have been in Afghanistan forever. Storai stayed in Kabul all through this difficult period, even when the city turned into a battleground.
After the fall of the Taliban in 2001, Storai joined Mercy Corps as the first employee in Kabul. The Kabul University opened up again and she was able to continue her studies for a medical degree while working part time.
After a year with Mercy Corps, she became the project officer responsible for the creation of a women's centre in district 7 in Kabul. This area had received major damage during the war and was home to many war refugees. The women's centre was being created to support vulnerable women in Kabul - many of them widows - by providing them with vocational training and thereby the possibility of making a living for their families. The women built the centre in a cash-for-work scheme in which they earned money for the work they contributed. After the completion of the centre the women took part in courses of carpentry, sewing, pottery, candle making, embroidery, photography or could study to become a beautician or learn how to drive. About 45 women were supported by the centre, which is still operating independently today.
In May 2003 Mercy Corps received funding to launch a Microfinance organization which would become AFSG, called Ariana for short. This Microfinance organization was aimed at supporting especially Afghan women. Storai joined the team from the start as a loan officer. Within 2 months, she was assisting the Manager of Ariana and in September 2003 she became Deputy Director of the organization. The demands of the job caused her to start working full time in order to build Ariana. In her words, she stopped being a medical person and turned into a banker.
At the time, Microfinance - the provision of small loans to the poor - was not a concept known in Afghanistan. Islam religion forbids the charging of interest and the only kind of financial services most Afghan people knew was running a tab at their local merchant in return for higher prices. Culturally people were not used to taking loans or being in debt.
While theoretically there was a very high need for small loans, finding clients for Ariana was not an easy affair. Ariana was set up to provide loans and charge a 2% service fee - seeing that Islam forbids the charging of interest rates - for its work per month. This service fee was a very novel and often rejected idea and the Ariana team had to work hard to convince people of the benefits of Microfinance. Storai would speak to many religious leaders (mullahs), explaining Ariana's concept and how Microfinance worked. She found that it was important to highlight that Ariana had nothing to do with religion, but rather was trying to implement a system that worked all over the world. She and her team had to do a lot of outreach and promoting, literally going from door to door, distributing brochures and talking to people, visiting schools and mullahs in order to reach clients. Some of the areas that had mullahs who were the most resistant to the idea of Microfinance are where Ariana today is most successful.
An additional challenge was that the Taliban had left their mark on women in Afghanistan. Even after the defeat of the Taliban, many women continued to be restricted to their homes. After 6 years of confinement, women doubted their ability to cope in the outside world or to run a successful business. Many women who were part of a small home business had no idea of the value of their work or of their products on the market. Storai and her team were challenged to help these women overcome their fears.
Storai still remembers the 1st year anniversary of Ariana when they celebrated their 500th client. The realization of how much positive change receiving a micro loan had created in all aspects of people's life was an incredible motivation for Storai and her team to continue working in the field of Micro Finance and help Ariana become a success.
One of Storai's favorite success stories is that of a woman who used to make kites at home. Kite-flying is a favorite sport with a long history in Afghanistan. After having become an Ariana client the woman could expand her business to several employees, and now exports her kites as far as Iran and Pakistan.
Another typical example of an Ariana client is a widow whose sole source of income used to be a few chickens whose eggs she would sell on the market. After having received loans, the widow has been able to continuously build her business until she now owns a farm with cows and sheep and produces milk and yoghurt.
A third woman used to make jam and pickles at home which her husband sold on the market. The loan from Ariana allowed them to expand their business until they had enough capital to start a real grocery store. As Storai tells it, the woman now runs the business including the finances and her husband mans the counter.
From the initial 500 clients Ariana had at its one year anniversary, Ariana has grown to have over 5,740 active clients by September 2006 and has supported more than 16,900 clients since its launch.
It never has been an easy and smooth road of growth for Ariana. Storai and her team have been continuously challenged to make it a success. In 2004 Ariana changed its strategy to include male clients. This directly correlated with a higher number of defaulted loans; as Afghan men proved far less conscientious about repaying their debt than their female counterparts. Storai believes that this lies in the fact that culturally Afghan women take on a higher responsibility for their families and must also be far more careful about their reputation than men. She also considers women to be better managers.
The difficulties with male clients proved to be a very challenging time for Storai and her team; and managing these problems brought a steep learning curve as well as an even stronger sense of commitment to Ariana by the whole staff. Ariana had to drop most of its male clients and will now only accept them after extensive background checks and with a grantor who either is an employee or has a registered business. Male clients cannot be completely excluded as in some cases they are the only way of reaching women in an area. At present 18% of Ariana's clients are male.
Today the challenge for Storai and her team is to expand Ariana beyond Kabul while the security situation in the country remains instable and might deteriorate further. For now, Ariana is opening more branches in Kabul as there is still plenty of need for microfinance services there.
In her private life Storai has also had plenty of changes to deal with. She got married in September 2004 and is now the proud mother of a 14 month old son called Ali Abdullah Eman. She continues to work fulltime and manages the family finances. There are several young mothers working at Ariana who pool their money to run a small crib on the premises. This means that they can concentrate on work with a calmer mind, as they know their little ones are close by and they can check in on them regularly.
Storai's vision for the future of Ariana is grand: In 5 years, she wants Ariana to be a completely self sufficient Afghan organization that finances itself over loans rather than grants. She wants to expand Ariana to cover all of Afghanistan - including the now often inaccessible south - and offer a diverse mix of financial products, i.e. including house loans and savings. Storai's vision for herself within Ariana is:" I want to continue with Ariana forever!" Given the courage, strength and persistence Storai has already shown, her visions might just about come true.
Afghanistan needs more women like Storai. She is being a role model for other Afghan women, contributing to in her country's reconstruction, and helping other women achieve a better and freer life.
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