The celebrations undertaken on the occasion of ‘Nowruz’ or The New Year witnessed the gathering of large number of political figures from all our neighboring countries. For these celebrations, the preparations were initially made on a hillside picnic place in the outskirts of Kabul called ‘Paghman’ which was later on cancelled due to security reasons and all the celebrations took place in the presidential palace. In a number of countries of the region like Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Iran and others, new Solar Year starts with the spring and in this connection, the celebrations are undertaken. Every year, artists and people of different countries assemble in one of the countries and enjoy every moment of the new season. This year, Afghanistan was the host of the occasion.

According to the reports, millions of dollars were spent for renovation and decoration in Paghman where a large castle-type building has been built for the purpose. In the same way, large sums were spent on lighting, roads and others. The expenses incurred on the lodging and other arrangements made for the guests have also been estimated to be in hundreds and thousands of dollars.

This gathering of the political leaders has brought a sense of unity among the people of these countries and at the same time, it may have its lasting impacts on the bilateral trade and political ties of these nations. Nobody can deny the importance of this gathering and all the expenses thus incurred can be justified but few points must be kept in mind. Except Afghanistan, all the other nations are prosperous and can easily afford any such gatherings and celebrations. It is also a fact that the economy of Afghanistan is in its initial stages and we depend on our foreign donors for majority of our expenses. In such circumstances, it seems really unnecessary to hold any such gathering at the cost of millions of dollars of donations aimed for public well-being.

The celebrations were badly felt by the majority of the poor residents of city who are struggling very hard to earn the bread for their family. Recent rains turned large number of roads of the city into flooded rivers and the sufferings of people were not even noticed by the responsible authorities. The arrival of guests and political delegations and security arrangements made in this connection jammed the traffic at many points in the city and greatly affected the routine life. Large number of people could not reach to their workplaces on time and they openly criticized the government for being such inconsiderate of the sufferings of people.

Having a look at this bad experience, it is the voice of people that Afghanistan should avoid hosting any such event in near future until it becomes absolutely independent economically and the money should be spent on roads, houses for poor or middle class and other welfare projects of the common public.