KABUL - A prominent political leader and second deputy to Chief Executive Officer, Haji Mohammad Mohaqiq, has warned to stop cooperation with the government if the 500kV mega power project is not implemented via Bamyan province.
Mohaqiq was speaking during a gathering in Mazar-e-Sharif city, the provincial capital of northern Balkh province of Afghanistan.
He said “We are not in favor of the collapse of the government but will opt to go with the people if injustice exceeds the limit.”
In his earlier remarks regarding the change of TUTAP route from Bamyan to Salang, Mohaqiq had said “Rejecting the demands to change the route of project from Salang to Bamyan is a clear discrimination and bullying against the people of central provinces.”
The remarks by Mohaqiq comes as thousands of Bamyan residents organized peaceful demonstration in this province to protest against the change of TUTAP route to Salang.
Meanwhile, a number of the prominent political figures, including acting Balkh governor Ata Mohammad Noor and the former NDS Chief Rahmatullah Nabil have voiced concerns regarding the implementation of the project via Salang.
However, the Minister of Energy and Water said Tuesday that the change of TUTAP route would not be possible, insisting that 12 province would suffer if the project is implemented through Bamyan province.
The Second Vice President Mohammad Sarwar Danish first expressed concerns regarding the implementation of the project via Salang.
He wrote a letter to the Ministry of Energy and Water and Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat earlier in January this year and called for technical approach to implement the project, considering the needs of the residents of the central provinces for their access to energy who have repeatedly demanded the government to ensure social justice while executing such projects.
Danish also pointed towards the survey conducted by the Fichtner Engineering Company in 2013 for a 20-year master plan of Afghanistan, a report of which was presented to the Asian Development Bank and Ministry of Energy and Water, and said the Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat is ignoring the technical views of Fichtner. (KP)