Govt sacks 8 individuals from embassies in 6 countries

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Afghan government has fired its cultural attachés in the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Iran, India, Russia and the US, as well as two other Afghan embassy officers in Iran and Pakistan. A letter from the Ministry of Information and Culture dated January 11 suggested to the office of the Prime Minister to approve the sacking of cultural attaches to United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Tajikistan, Germany, India, Russia and the US.
The letter says that the decision was taken in order to observe diplomatic balance and good relations with neighboring and foreign countries. It said that process to appoint new cultural attaché was also underway, which will be proposed to the Prime Minister in the near future.
In another letter of the Ministry of Information and Culture, dated February 20 sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that the Prime Minister has approved the removal of the cultural attaches with following identities and countries where they work: Shah Sultan Akifi, cultural attaché in Moscow, Russia; Mohammad Seddiq Amarkhel, cultural attaché in the United Arab Emirates; Hazrat Wali Hottak, cultural attaché in Islamabad, Pakistan; AssadullahFaroqi, cultural representative in Peshawar, Pakistan; Shafiqullah Shafiq Sharq, cultural attaché in Tehran, Iran; Sayed Yaqob Hoshmand, deputy cultural attaché in Mashhad, Iran; HamdallahArbab, in Delhi – India; Najib Rahman Nangial, cultural attaché in the US.
An official of the Ministry of Information and Culture, who wished not to be named, confirmed the letter. About the absence of names of Afghan cultural attachés in Turkey, Tajikistan or Germany in the list,the source said that the cultural attachés inTurkey and Tajikistan had been removed by former President Ashraf Ghani, and that the country’s cultural attaché in Germany, AlamGulSahar had resigned before the fall of the previous administration.
A letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs dated March 7 sent to Afghan embassies in Moscow, Abu Dhabi, Islamabad, Tehran, Ankara, Dushanbe, Berlin, New Delhi, Washington and the Afghan consulates in Mashhad and Peshawar asked for the sacking of the mentioned individuals. Information and culture and foreign affairs ministries have not yet commented on the issue, but two government sources confirmed the validity of the letters to Pajhwok Afghan News.
However, Najiba Rehman Nangyal, Afghanistan’s cultural attaché in the US, told Pajhwok that his resignation letter had not yet reached the Afghan embassy in Washington. He said that the Afghan embassy in US had no relations with the current Afghan government. According to some reports, Afghan embassy in the US is closed due to financial issues.
A source at the Afghan embassy in New Delhi, who did not want to be named, also said that the embassy had not yet received a written letter related to the sacking of cultural attaché. The source said that the mentioned figures were not appointed by the current government and the government order for their removal was meaningless when it is not recognized by foreign states.