Criticism Grows Over Appointment of Mullah Abdul Khaliq Abid as New Paktia Governor

Mullah Abdul Khaliq Abid has been introduced as the new governor of Paktia province. The ceremony was attended by several senior Taliban officials, including Mawlawi Mohammad Nabi Omari, first deputy of the Ministry of Interior, as well as the governors of Paktia, Paktika and Zabul provinces.

In his speech, the first deputy of the Taliban-run Interior Ministry stressed the importance of performing duties precisely, as well as unity, solidarity and obedience, and wished the new governor success. Mullah Abdul Khaliq Abid also highlighted mutual cooperation between the administration and the people, unity and joint efforts in his remarks.

At the same time as the new governor was introduced, the two-storey guesthouse building of the Paktia governor’s office in the country’s southeast was inaugurated. The building was constructed at a cost of 17 million Afghanis by the General Directorate of Construction under the Ministry of Interior and has 92 rooms.

The spending of such a significant budget on projects like a guesthouse comes as fundamental infrastructure, economic and service-related problems for the people of this province and neighbouring areas remain unresolved, and the Taliban administration has so far been unable to address the public’s main needs. The appointment of the new governor, in this context, has also raised concerns about the real impact of these changes on improving the general situation for the people.