Ghani Criticizes Taliban Leadership for Absence Following Deadly Nuristan Floods

Following the deadly floods in Parun city, the center of Nuristan province, where 23 people have been confirmed dead, 80 injured, and over 100 reported missing, former Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani stated that none of the senior officials of the Taliban administration were present at the scene. He also noted that the Taliban leaders have not issued any official message of condolence to the affected people.

Referring to his experience traveling to Nuristan in 2016, Ghani emphasized that responsibility toward the people is not limited to peaceful times but must be demonstrated actively in difficult circumstances as well. He mentioned that in the month of Dey of the same year (January 2017), after heavy snowfall and storms caused damage to Nuristan residents, he traveled to the province despite adverse weather conditions and the helicopter’s inability to find a safe landing spot.

Ghani further stated that Nuristan is not merely a tourist area; it holds strategic importance due to its lithium reserves and has attracted international attention.

According to him, alongside reconstruction plans for Parun city, there was a proposal to connect Nuristan through Kunar and Badakhshan to the Chinese border—a route that could serve as the shortest trade corridor to China and could transform the region’s geographical significance. He claimed that implementing this plan could have brought economic transformation to Nuristan’s residents and improved their capacity to cope with natural disasters.

Located in eastern Afghanistan, Nuristan province has a mountainous terrain and faces threats from floods and landslides every year during the rainy season and snowmelt. Due to the lack of resilient infrastructure, these events cause heavy damages to local residents.